At our March meeting, Denis Harte, Senior Logistics Manager, Blommer Chocolate Company, lead us in an overview of the industry and its supply chain in the region.  Who would have guessed that…

• Cocoa was imported through the Port of Philadelphia since before the American Revolution.  Benjamin Rush and Benjamin Franklin (founders of PSPA by the way) drank cocoa instead of tea in the aftermath of the Boston Tea Party.
• The Port of Philadelphia unloads more cocoa that any other port in North America.
• Cocoa is a tropical crop with the Ivory Coast, Ecuador, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana as leading producers.
• Pennsylvania is the leading state in chocolate production in the United States.

Founded in 1939, Blommer Chocolate Company is the largest cocoa processor and ingredient chocolate supplier in North America. The company maintains an outstanding reputation for customer service and quality.

With four strategically located manufacturing facilities in North America, the company provides comprehensive business solutions for domestic and international customers of all sizes in the confectionery, baking and dairy industries. Among Blommer’s core competencies are cocoa bean processing, chocolate manufacturing, commodity risk management, and product and process R&D.

The company is a leader in advancing sustainable cocoa farming, playing an active role in the World Cocoa Foundation and promoting sustainable farming practices through its privately managed programs in Cote d’Ivoire, Indonesia and Ecuador.