Guittard Chocolate taps the sun to power proprietary chocolate making facility
The 300,000 square foot plant – built to expand the company’s capacity beyond its Burlingame headquarters – is used for its proprietary chocolate production, along with high-speed packaging and warehousing.
The rooftop solar system was designed and installed in partnership with Commercial Energy and Centrica Business Solutions and comprises 2,992 solar panels, which will generate 1.7 million kWh of power per year.
The solar energy captured is estimated to save 1,217 metric tons of CO2 emissions per year, equivalent to removing 263 cars from the road and offsetting 50% of the facility’s demand.
The project is the latest move by the San Francisco-based company to reduce its environmental impact through the adoption of renewable energy, water conservation, and waste reduction practices.
According to Guittard, it is also dedicated to the honourable sourcing of ingredients and championing long-term sustainability initiatives to benefit both the environment and the cacao-growing communities in which it works in the US and abroad.
The Guittard Chocolate Company produces couverture chocolate, using original formulas and traditional French methods for a global clientele in the manufacturing, wholesale, foodservice, retail and consumer sectors.
Created in 1868 by Etienne Guittard, it is the oldest continuously family-owned chocolate company in the US, having been family-owned and operated for more than four generations.
