Theo Chocolate and others aims to end farmers' cycle of poverty

Companies including Nespresso and Timberland are working with local communities in developing countries to build sustainable supply chains

Every chocolate company needs to buy cocoa beans. For Seattle-based Theo Chocolate, sourcing this essential ingredient is not about finding the right vendors - it's about creating them. This unorthodox approach yields a better quality of chocolate for Theo, and a better quality of life for the cocoa farmers with whom the business works, according to founder and CEO Joe Whinney.

"Unless you're really willing to change the game [and] the way it's done, you're going to end up with the same cycle," he said. He's referring to a cycle in which, despite the efforts of global chocolate companies, many of the world's cocoa farmers remain poor.