Our fine chocolate community thrives on continuous education, and we love highlighting the brilliant work of our members. Recently, we received an inspiring update from Valerie Beck, the FCIA 2026 Eric Case Fine Chocolate Industry Impact Award winner and founder of Chocolate Uplift.

Valerie returned to her alma mater, Harvard Law School, to lead an interactive workshop titled "Law and Chocolate: Business Human Rights." The session hosted a visiting delegation of lawyers and law students from the University of Ghana School of Law, sparking a vibrant cross-cultural exchange centered on equality, legal theory, and ethical business practices.

Valerie designed a three-part framework to explore the intersection of the legal world and the craft chocolate sector:

1. Business & Ethics: An investigation of obvious and non-obvious applications of ethical business principles, anchored by a practical case study on Chicago Chocolate Tours.
2. Tasting & Value Chains: A guided sampling of exceptional craft chocolate (featuring Amaure, Bixby, and Fruition) and premium cacao (Zorzal Dominican Republic and Askinosie Tanzania). The group discussed the massive divide between bulk and specialty cacao value chains, highlighting how communities can reclaim control over corporations.
3. Law & Human Rights: A deep dive into human rights principles at origin and even inside businesses, and into laws concerning consumer protection, unfair competition, and monopolies. The discussion also touched on labeling laws and legal questions surrounding synthetic chemical additives used by industrial chocolate brands.

After the morning workshop and lunch, the group took a practical site visit to nearby Taza Chocolate for a first-hand look at transparently traded cacao being made into chocolate. 

It’s amazing to see our members leading these critical global conversations and bringing craft chocolate advocacy to the world's most prestigious academic stages!

Want to dig deeper into the topics Valerie covered? You can review her full Law and Chocolate Workshop Syllabus here.

Are you currently working on a chocolate- or cacao-related research article, thesis, or school project? We want to feature your work next! We strongly encourage all of our Academic and Student Members to submit a brief summary of their recent research and studies. We would love to share your accomplishments with the broader fine chocolate industry so our community can learn alongside you and offer opportunities for collaboration. Please send your updates directly to Cathy Ford at C.Ford@FineChocolateIndustry.org.