From Bean To Bar: New Documentary With Minka Kelly Reveals The Secret Behind DOVE® Chocolate

NEW YORK, July 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- As consumers continue to cultivate an interest in not just what they're eating, but how it's sourced, grown and farmed, Minka Kelly visited Ecuador to shed light on the cocoa journey for chocolate lovers everywhere. In a new video series, the actress and foodie takes on the role of "cocoa discoverer" to uncover not only how DOVE® Chocolate experts select and roast the highest quality cocoa beans, but also how the company supports the farmers and sustainable farming methods.

Directed by emerging filmmaker Pamela Romanowsky in partnership with Refinery29, the videos provide consumers with a glimpse into the origins of DOVE® Chocolate as well as how the brand sources the highest-quality ingredients to create its silky smooth chocolate. You can view Kelly's story here:

• DOVE® Chocolate Journeys – A Culture of Cocoa 
  In Ecuador, cocoa farming is more than an occupation, it is a source of cultural pride rooted in over 5,000 years of tradition. Join Minka Kelly as she visits Ecuadorian cocoa farms to learn about the proud families who grow some of the world's finest cocoa beans, which are used to create silky smooth DOVE® Chocolate.
• DOVE® Chocolate Journeys – Cocoa Through The Generations 
  From harvesting cocoa pods by hand to fermenting and drying the beans, join Minka Kelly as she visits a sustainable, family run cocoa farm in the heart of Ecuador to uncover one of the cocoa sources used in DOVE® Chocolate.

"Discovering how and where my food is sourced is extremely important to me – and after visiting the cocoa farms in Ecuador, it's clearly a passion I share with DOVE® Chocolate," says Kelly, "It was amazing to see where chocolate comes from, but more importantly, to meet the farmers who take great pride in the cocoa they have been growing for generations."

DOVE® Chocolate has pledged by 2020 to source 100 percent of its cocoa from certified sources which in turn promotes the well-being of cocoa farmers. As part of this pledge, DOVE® Chocolate recently donated over $1 million in partnership with CARE® to empower female cocoa farmers in West Africa, where 70 percent of the world's cocoa is sourced.  

"With the help of Minka Kelly, we want to show the great care that goes into making DOVE® Chocolate to ensure its signature taste starting from the farmers we work with.  How we source and roast each bean in Dove Chocolate is important to us," says Kerry Cavanaugh, Brand Director, DOVE® Chocolate, Mars Wrigley Confectionery. "Our consumers want to know that the chocolate they enjoy is not only responsibly sourced, but that the well-being of the farmers is a priority."

The DOVE® Chocolate Difference
From bean to bar, Mars Wrigley Confectionery takes great care to maintain the highest standards of quality when crafting DOVE® Chocolate. Every batch of beans is carefully and thoroughly evaluated for flavor and quality to ensure the authentic rich taste of the cocoa is enjoyed by consumers around the world.

It all starts with only the best cacao beans, which are tested by Mars experts for quality and flavor. The beans are then taken through special roasting and grinding techniques – a process rooted in European tradition - to create the signature silky smooth texture and great taste of DOVE® Chocolate. Finally, Mars adds the perfect combination of chocolate liquor and 100 percent pure cocoa butter to create a balanced taste that's not too sweet, nor too bitter.

To learn more about the unique DOVE® Chocolate bean to bar process, please visit www.dovechocolatejourney.com. For more information about DOVE® Chocolate, visit Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Mars, Incorporated
Mars is a family-owned business with more than a century of history making diverse products and offering services for people and the pets people love. With almost $35 billion in sales, the company is a global business that produces some of the world's best-loved brands: M&M's®, SNICKERS®, TWIX®, MILKY WAY®, DOVE®, PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, WHISKAS®, EXTRA®, ORBIT®, 5™, SKITTLES®, UNCLE BEN'S®, MARS DRINKS and COCOAVIA®. Mars also provides veterinary health services that include BANFIELD® Pet Hospitals. Headquartered in McLean, VA, Mars operates in more than 80 countries. The Mars Five Principles – Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom – inspire its more than 85,000 Associates to create value for all its partners and deliver growth they are proud of every day.

For more information about Mars, please visit www.mars.com. Join us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.

About CARE
Founded in 1945 with the creation of the CARE Package®, CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. CARE places special focus on working alongside women and girls because, equipped with the proper resources, they have the power to lift whole families and entire communities out of poverty. That's why women and girls are at the heart of CARE's community-based efforts to improve education and health, create economic opportunity, respond to emergencies and confront hunger. Last year CARE worked in 94 countries and reached 80 million people. To learn more, visit www.care.org.

SOURCE Mars, Incorporated

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