There are multiple stories about entrepreneurs who beat the odds and launch their own companies and successful brands. They are a source of inspiration, showing how they made their own marks in doing business distinct from everybody else.

Think of a food company that decided to build its whole business model on fair trade and inclusion—the statement that represents its brand identity. This is the story of Santiago Peralta, the co-founder of Pacari Chocolate based in Quito, Ecuador. The family-owned company, created in 2002, has changed, in fact, revolutionized, the chocolate industry, by promoting new strategies and values hand in hand with more than 3,000 families of farmers, creating schools for sustainable agriculture, and developing organic certification processes. In this interview, Mr. Peralta explains how these ethics have shaped the brand, which is now distributed in more than 40 countries and has received more than 300 awards as one of the most premium chocolates in the world.

Related Resources

To go further:
About Santiago Peralta
About Pacari Chocolate

Also of Interest:
INTA 2020 New York Conference—Brands in Society: Their Influence and Responsibility

INTA Bulletin:  Pacari Chocolate—A Sweet Business Model Delivering Social, Environmental, and Economic Benefits

Profiles in Farming: Santiago Peralta & Carla Barboto, Pacari Chocolate

6 Key Facts About the Chocolate Industry

International Cocoa Organization: The Chocolate Industry

INTA Daily News: To Dream the Impossible Dream