President Doug called the meeting to order, noting that we had a full agenda. It was also a full house as we had numerous guests. We squeezed 37 folks around the tables.
Joe La Mariana then led us in the Pledge of Allegiance
Thought for the Day: In recognition of Women’s History Month, Marilyn Orr shared a few of the many notable women of the past 100 years and their accomplishments. There were those we all know and those who may not be so familiar.
Eleanor Roosevelt quipped, "A woman is like a tea bag - you can't tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water."
Indira Gandhi, the first and only female Prime Minister of India said, “We have sought and continue to seek friendship with all, except governments which are racist or threaten the hard-earned freedom of others.”
Mother Theresa challenged us by saying, “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love."
Visiting Rotarians and Guests:
Marilyn Orr introduced Bobba’s granddaughter, Anjali Bobba. She and her employer, Johnson & Johnson, have been generous supporters of our international projects in India.
Jennifer Pence introduced her friend Elisabeth Barek. Bret Johnson presented his wife Allison and a friend Benjamin Preston
We welcomed the exchange students from the Tokyo Edogawa Rotary Club and their BHS hosts. Raira Nakagawa, Azuki Wada, Noa Kimura, Renka Mori, and Rio Ito
Announcements:
Christine Krolik shared her tour-guide duties as she took the exchange students around the sites in San Francisco.
Christine then invited all who could to the Goodbye Event on Saturday at the Krolik home.
Program
Bret Johnson introduced our speaker, Gary Guittard, President and CEO of Guittard Chocolate Company. He shared the company's history and commitment to quality chocolate-making. Gary explained how the company, founded in San Francisco in 1868, and moved to its current location in Burlingame in 1954. He stressed their dedication to traditional French chocolate-making methods and protecting chocolate quality standards as well as supporting cacao-growing communities through initiatives like heirloom cacao preservation.
Gary discussed the chocolate industry's history and challenges, particularly regarding the addition of vegetable fat to chocolate products. He explained how consumer opposition led the FDA to reject allowing such additions and noted how chocolate prices have increased significantly in recent years.
Gary discussed the chocolate-making process from farm to table, highlighting the significant effort required at each stage, including fermentation, grinding, and roasting. He emphasized the importance of sustainability efforts, including work with farmers, particularly women in West Africa, and the company's plans to build a new facility in Fairfield with solar power. He also explained the concept of chocolate percentages, tracing their historical development from Spanish preferences for high sugar content to Aztec traditions involving maize and solid particles.
There were samples of two different varieties of chocolates that attendees could taste. At the conclusion of his presentation, Gary invited us to take one of the “goodie” bags containing some of their chocolate products.
Gary took some questions. President Doug then thanked him and presented him with our Polio Certificate.
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