The Institute for Cacao and Chocolate Research (ICCR) (formerly the Fine Cacao and Chocolate Institute or FCCI) is an independent, non-profit (US 501(c)(3)), research organization recognized for its scholarly rigor and credibility. Since 2016, we have dedicated our work to reducing information asymmetry, promoting ethics, and supporting critical thinking in the cacao and chocolate value chain through research and education.

Our collaborative team of public scholars expands and contracts on a project basis to create resources, weave multidisciplinary networks, and build capacity for and with our partners. We aspire to continually develop and transparently model ethical, sustainable practices in research, teaching, data stewardship, digital accessibility, publication, programming, community engagement, and public outreach, serving as a guide for other projects.

 Our projects have involved collaborations with dozens of organizations such as universities, non-governmental organizations, governments, and private and public companies.

​Our research team members have participated in the production of thousands of pages of open access research and reports, hundreds of hours of free expert video, podcast, and lecture content, and countless knowledge exchanges around the world. Our publications, especially market research and the impact of Covid-19 on the industry, are widely cited and inform policy and decision-making in the public and private sectors around the world.

Our education team members have provided training to more than 1,500 course participants in 14 countries and 7 languages. Elements of ICCR’s cocoa producer-centric quality evaluation method have been proposed as international standards in the Guide for the Assessment of Cacao Quality and Flavor. ICCR’s non-profit financial model, supporting partners, and donors have made it possible for more than half of ICCR course participants, all based in cacao-producing regions, to attend our courses and events tuition- and cost-free.