Making chocolate leaves behind a husk that brews into tea, so why would a chocolate company let a free by-product leave the building unbranded?

01 · The problem

A free by-product leaves the building with nobody’s name on it

A chocolate company makes a by-product every day that other people would pay for, and lets it leave the building unbranded.

02 · Why now

Nothing changed, and that is the whole argument

Nothing outside has changed. The husk comes off every bean roasted, it costs nothing to make and little to pack, and it is already a by-product of making chocolate. That standing fact is the whole argument, and I will not dress it up as a moment.

03 · The idea

Whittaker’s in the tea aisle, made from its own waste

A Whittaker’s cacao tea. Loose leaf, made from the husk of the same beans that make the chocolate.

04 · Who it’s for

Trust earned in one aisle, spent in another

People who already trust the chocolate and are standing in the tea aisle.

05 · Instead of

The husk already leaves; only the name is missing

Composting the husk, or selling it on unbranded.

06 · What it would take

A pack, a listing, and a name on the bag

The raw material is already on site and already paid for. What is missing is a pack, a listing, and a name to put on the bag. I believe it does little to stretch the capacity of a chocolate company, which is the point of it.

07 · What would prove it wrong

Judged as chocolate first, and that turns out to be the trap

A tea made by a chocolate company will be judged as chocolate first, and that is either the pull or the trap. If it turns out to be the trap, or if the tea stretches the capacity of a chocolate company more than I think, or if it never puts the brand front of mind in the second aisle, the argument goes with it.