The 150-year-old San Francisco-based chocolate maker says the new development is part of its Cultivate Better platform, where it “dedicates itself to honourable sourcing, expert crafting, industry leadership, environmental initiatives, and long-term sustainability both at home and in the cacao-growing countries in which it works”.
Its Fairfield facility, which is used for warehousing, high-speed packaging, and proprietary chocolate production, supports Guittard’s growth and innovation for its national and international wholesale/manufacturing, professional/foodservice, and consumer/retail customers, a spokesperson said.
Guittard’s new rooftop solar system includes 2,992 solar panels expected to generate 1.7 Million kWh (kilowatt/hour) of power per year, offsetting 50% of the facility’s demand. Significantly reducing the company’s environmental footprint, 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.