Fine Chocolate Industry Association

Fine Chocolate Industry Association (FCIA) is a professional non-profit organization representing the fine chocolate industry. The mission is to promote quality, innovations, ethical sourcing, and best practices in the fine chocolate industry from tree to bar and bonbon. FCIA achieves this by:Building a community of members along the entire cacao value chainCelebrating and promoting our members workSupporting ethical sourcing of cacao and other ingredientsBecoming the voice of fine chocolate to the media regarding growing, production and consumption of chocolate.Sharing information for chocolate professionals on best practices, ingredients, processing, equipment and technology.Support the defining of industry standards for fine cacao, chocolate production and use, sensory analysis and quality ingredients.Contribute to improving the economic prospects of smallholder cacao farmersBuilding partnerships to strengthen the value chain and preserve fine cacao varieties.In 2023 we continued to deliver programming virtually through webinars in person events at Dallas Chocolate Festival and Northwest Chocolate Festival and developed the fine chocolate glossary which serves as a shared space for leading experts to establish a common language for all things chocolate. . Additionally we continued to work with USAID and USDA on two initiatives TSIRO Alliance and MOCCA. TSIRO AllianceFCIA along with USAID, Catholic Relief Services (CRS), and a group of international companies working in cacao and spices joined forces to help address some of Madagascars critical environmental and economic problems, with the creation of the TSIRO Alliance. The alliance focuses on conserving biodiversity and improving the livelihoods of smallholder cacao and spice farmers to support agroforestry systems, and enhancing biodiversity in Madagascar. This public-private partnership will invest in diversifying income streams, using climate-smart agriculture techniques, and reasserting the value of healthy trees and ecosystems to support Madagascars fragile ecosystem. The Fine Chocolate Industry Association (FCIA) links to a global network of experts and consumer touchpoints.MOCCAMOCCA, which stands for Maximizing Opportunities for Coffee and Cacao in the Americas, is a joint effort between USDA, Lutheran World Relief, TechnoServe and FCIA. The MOCCA program focuses on applying market solutions to help coffee and cocoa producers overcome the barriers that limit their ability to renovate and rehabilitate their plantations, improving their production yields, marketing capabilities, income and livelihoods. FCIA works with MOCCA to provide training for farmers as well as communication on flavor profiles to prospective buyers of fine flavor cacao.