Tim McCollum never set out to redesign the global chocolate industry.
He grew up playing sports, avoiding homework, and roaming the woods of a small town in New Jersey.
After graduating from Denison University, Tim signed up for the Peace Corps. Two years in Madagascar provided amazing sunsets, seafood, and a window into a small corner of the world that became the foundation for Beyond Good, the Brooklyn-based chocolate and vanilla company he established in 2007.
Beyond Good makes chocolate in Africa. It sounds easier than it is. But the concept is simple. And this simple change … changes every broken dynamic in the chocolate industry. By making chocolate in Africa, Beyond Good has created a business model where cocoa farmers earn a thriving wage, 100% traceability to farm-level is unavoidable, and reforestation and conservation happen (almost) automatically.
Tim has been recognized as a Leader of Change by the United Nations and named to Food and Wine’s 30 Under 30 list of Americans for “changing the way we eat and live.” Beyond Good has been twice recognized as one of the world’s most innovative companies by Fast Company and has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Fast Company, Forbes, National Geographic, Bloomberg, The Guardian, Saveur Magazine, and more.
Tim lives in New York City with his amazingly stoic wife, Catherine, and their two kids, Cliff and Clara. They spend their spare time playing chess (Catherine always wins), splitting wood, eating sausage, growing asparagus, and tending to a cottage garden that anchors the local hummingbird, butterfly, and bee populations.