Guittard has launched the Make it Sweet program, which is providing resources and donations to support local communities, hospitality industry professionals and cocoa farmers struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Guittard has donated chocolate bars to frontline workers at local hospitals and to meal programs, including SF General Hospital, UCSF, Stanford, UCSD, Highland Hospital, Drip Kit and Fiorella's "Pay It Forward Tuesdays." The company has also committed a portion of the sales of their baking kit to support No Kid Hungry and joined forces with the World Cocoa Foundation to provide relief to cocoa farmers in countries hit heavily by the virus.
Additionally, Guittard has rolled out a workplace giving program and will match every dollar donated by employees to organizations such as No Kid Hungry, the Boys and Girls Clubs of San Francisco, SF Marin Food Bank, SF New Deal, and Frontline Foods.
Make it Sweet is also providing resources to help guide the community in ways they can support businesses and individuals most affected by the pandemic. These resources include:
- Detailed guides on how to support restaurants, bakeries, confectioneries and other small businesses in the hospitality industry
- Ways to support organizations providing food security such as No Kid Hungry, World Central Kitchen and others
- Tips and suggestions on how to support frontline workers such as nurses, doctors, hospital staff and more
- Ways to take action and support cocoa industry farmers in countries hard-hit by the pandemic
- Advice on how to support advocacy groups fighting for relief and support to be given to the hospitality and restaurant industry
- Shopping guides on how to support local small businesses vital to the economy who are struggling as a result of the pandemic, including Guittard's own donation-focused products such as their Creative Growth chocolate bar, which supports the Oakland-based nonprofit Creative Growth Arts Center.
