Companiesandme

When we launched our first chocolate in December 2007 (at the Entertainment Gathering at the Getty Center in Los Angeles), we decided we wanted to engage with our first tasters by requesting their feedback. Since a lot of us have tech backgrounds, we adopted a familiar idea: we encouraged our users to help us make the chocolate they wanted, in much the same way software developers engage beta testers. We called what we were doing Beta Chocolate, and put it in plain brown bags with rubber stamps to identify the contents and batch numbers.

Early users were invited to punch in the batch numbers on our website's feedback form and share their opinions about the chocolate. Our R&D team reviewed these comments and adjusted their formulations constantly over that first year. As we subsequently found out, this is not the way it's done in the chocolate business. But the idea struck a chord as customers became creators, helping us formulate the release of our final "1.0" after 1,026 beta iterations.

We went through a similar process for "Fruity", "Nutty" and "Citrus" before arriving at their respective 1.0 master formulations. Now it's a couple years later, and, working on the other side of the production chain—that is, with the farmers who grow the cacao— we've worked to develop even better quality cacao for these bars and have further refined a few of our formulations. So, "Fruity" and "Nutty" are now in their "2.0" formulations and taste better than ever. But it all began with beta feedback.

Our beta program has engaged literally thousands of tasters from all over the country, who have directly helped make our chocolate incredible. And in the process, we've built a stronger relationship with them probably than most chocolate companies have with their fans. How many chocolate lovers can hold up their favorite chocolate and say, "I helped make this"? Our growing community of supporters can. Our plan is to continue beta testing, as we launch new flavor-focused bars (we are currently scouring the world on the hunt for "Floral" and "Earthy" cacao beans). Stay tuned—and please come participate! And there's no need to wait for our next beta product; we love hearing feedback from our customers on any product, at any time (feedback@tcho.com).

Lower image: Scott Beale / Laughing Squid