Mars, Perfect Day & CO2COA: The future of indulgence is bright.
Mars, Perfect Day & CO2COA: The future of indulgence is bright. We spoke with a true visionary on the Mars team, Senior Chocolate Fellow Barry Glazier, on how this collaboration came to fruition, how he gets inspiration for new product ideas, what a typical day in the life is like, and much more…
Tell us about CO2COA.
CO2COA was crafted out of curiosity around what could be done to deliver an animal free chocolate experience, made with sustainability in mind – but even more importantly how would it taste? CO2COA’S ethos is to provide consumers with an indulgent and sustainably inspired chocolate experience that holistically considered earth friendliness and animal free ingredients while being intentional about packaging. And do all this while delivering uncompromised deliciousness.
How do you pronounce CO2COA?
It’s pronounced Co-too-Co-Uh.
How did this partnership come about?
As a Senior Fellow that serves as part of our Science & Technology team, I have been green lighted and trusted by the business to scout technologies and look into exciting opportunity spaces. A strong Science & Technology program serves as an enabler for the business to act quickly and with agility. We often serve as the lightning rod that encourages powerful strikes. As I learned about Perfect Day, our commonality around sustainability goals drew me closer and I was pleased the company had achieved GRAS certification and already launched a few products into the market. Now, with the launch of CO2COA, I look forward to seeing where this partnership can take us and hearing from our consumers!
What is your proudest milestone?
For this project, I received a lot of personal energy from sharing new technologies with our leadership team and gaining their support to explore, better understand, and meet evolving consumer preferences while mutually working towards our corporate Sustainability goals.
What drew you to a career in chocolate? What’s the typical day look like for a Sr. Chocolate Fellow?
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…I was a graduate student at Penn State where I had the opportunity as part of my M.S. thesis to investigate chocolate flavor from cocoa beans from around the world. I have remained immersed in the wonderful world of Chocolate Science ever since. What I love about my Sr. Fellow role is that I have the history and experience of knowing our Global Chocolate portfolio through an applied science approach that allows me to scout technologies and external partners.
My role as a Sr. Fellow has also allowed me the freedom to pursue areas of personal passion when it comes to coaching & mentoring our Mars Associates, developing talent, and contributing to our corporate sustainability initiatives. Every day is unique; however, I am often consulted to shape strategy, solve tough problems, and work with leadership to drive key business initiatives. But most enjoyably, I stay close to our products and our category by consuming chocolate routinely (strictly for research purposes 😊). Seems too good to be true, but who wouldn’t want a career in chocolate?
How is Mars Wrigley prioritizing sustainability and reducing their environmental footprint?
We believe the world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today. It is the vision at the heart of our Sustainable in a Generation Plan – one where the planet is healthy, people and pets are thriving, and society is inclusive. We are transforming the way we work – from how we source raw materials like palm oil and cocoa, to how we fish the oceans for our pet food ingredients – to ensure every part of our operations and extended supply chains help people and the planet thrive.
Who or what do you look to for inspiration when developing new products?
I am a firm believer in the concept of empathic design. Empathic design is not a new concept and involves a consumer centered approach that pays particular attention to their feelings about a product. Listening to the consumer is a great first step, however, understanding how their feelings lead to behaviors is the key.
Can you share another example of where you developed a unique product?
What did you learn from the testing process? We recently developed higher cacao DOVE® chocolate products that are 70% and 82% cacao respectively. We learned that consumers expected the same silky-smooth DOVE® experience without the harsh bitterness often associated with higher cacao chocolates. If you have not tried DOVE® Deeper 70% and Deepest 82% chocolates…I encourage you to join me on the dark side.
What is a flavor you wish you had in the CO2COA product line?
We’re excited for everyone to try our current offering, which you can get on CO2COA.com. But I am also particularly fond of those with nuts, fruits, or bringing interesting textural elements.
If you could give CO2COA to anyone – past or present – to try, who would it be? Why?
Possibly Anthony Bourdain because he would have been a fun conversationalist and had an inherent appreciation to try new things and offer his professional culinary perspective.
And finally, what is your vision of a kinder, greener future?
A sustainable world where what we take from nature is replenishable and not harmful to the earth so our children and future generations can thrive. At Mars, we say the world we want tomorrow begins with how we do business today.
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