One of my favorite chocolate bars for baking comes from the Swiss chocolate maker, Treegether. Each 500-gram baking bar indicates the name of the farmer that supplied the cocoa beans to make it. The rich chocolate flavor of these single-origin bars really comes through in your cakes, tarts and more.

To learn more about Treegether and its unique approach to chocolate-making, I reached out to Fabien Coutel, who founded this company in 2020. Below are my questions for Fabien and his responses, which have been edited for clarity and length.

1. After working in the chocolate industry for decades, for what reasons did you decide to start your own company, Treegether?

The main reason is frustration! I’ve always been inspired by the famous quote “be the change you wish to see in the world” and equally frustrated by the lack of respect and dignity toward farmers. I’ve attended too many cocoa and chocolate conferences during which we falsely lament the fate of farmers, but nothing has really changed for them in the past decades, despite the good intentions. That’s why I wanted to do things differently, through simple, but impactful changes. For example, we place cocoa farmers at the core of the product with Treegether’s cocoa tree sponsorship program. This unique program connects cocoa farmers directly with consumers. I consider chocolate to be like the fruit of the cocoa farmers’ work, just like grapes from a winegrower.

2. You are currently working with five cocoa farmers in four different countries in Africa and South America. How did you first make connections with these farmers?

There is a special story behind each connection, from farmers I met through people I had worked with from years before. For example, Philippe from Madagascar introduced me to Odile and Suzanne, and I had the honor of awarding Ambroise in Ivory Coast a “Cacao of Excellence Award” in 2019. Treegether farmers get to eat chocolate made with their very own cocoa, the fruit of their work. My favorite moments are when we eat chocolate together with the farmers, their children and grandchildren. You can’t imagine the pride in everybody’s eyes at this moment. Another very special moment is when our cocoa tree sponsors from Switzerland visit the cocoa farmers whose tree they sponsor. Recently, cocoa tree sponsors from Zug, Solothurn and Fribourg visited Odile in Madagascar and Ambroise in Ivory Coast!

3. What happens to the cocoa beans, after they arrive in Switzerland? 

They are transformed into “bean-to-bar” chocolate. We are lucky to work with Bruno Buletti, known by many renowned professionals as “the best.” After working with him for four years, I can see that these people were right! He is passionate, skilled and modest, which fits very well with Treegether’s concept because our stars are the cocoa farmers. In Switzerland, our cocoa beans are roasted, broken, ground and mixed with other ingredients to make chocolate. Finally, the chocolate is conched, tempered and molded. 

4. How would you describe the taste of your single-origin, bean-to-bar chocolate in comparison to other Swiss chocolate? 

The taste is a combination of exceptional cocoas that I have selected for their flavor potential, quality and diversity. Our five cocoas all taste very unique. I very much believe in chocolate freshness which contributes to flavor intensity. The two comments I’ve heard the most are: “I’ve never tasted anything with so much flavor before,” and “Do you add any flavoring?” Which we obviously don’t do. I want chocolate lovers to know what flavorful chocolate and cocoa terroirs can offer. We explore the diversity of flavors, such as fresh fruits, dried fruits, floral, spicy, honey and vegetal notes.

5. Can you tell me about your Tree sponsorship program? How exactly does it work?

Our cocoa tree sponsors have the opportunity to virtually meet Treegether’s cocoa farmers at treegether.com. Then, you can choose the farmer(s) whose tree you would like to sponsor. During the year of sponsorship, sponsors will receive six bars of chocolate twice a year. We also send you a newsletter with updates from our farmers. Treegether has a few sponsors that have sponsored a tree at each of our five cocoa farmers.

6. What are your future goals for Treegether?

I want to increase the number of cocoa tree sponsors. We also want to continue distributing chocolate directly to restaurants and pastry chefs who appreciate the quality of our products, our commitment to a fair supply chain and unique traceability. We also provide cocoa beans to bean-to-bar chocolate makers. Even though we all make similar products, we work as partners, not as competitors.

Want to discover the delicious flavor of Treegether chocolate and know that you are supporting cocoa farmers directly with your purchase?

Please note: This article was written as part of a paid partnership with Treegether.