Betting on the Bean: Keith Bearden on Cacao Chaos, Conscious Chocolate, and Turning Mission into Margin

🎙️ What if you bet everything on a chocolate bar and it actually worked?

Keith Bearden didn’t just invest in Alter Eco. He bought the whole company.

At the exact moment cacao prices exploded 400%, he doubled down on one of the most volatile supply chains in CPG—and made it profitable in year one. From cutting hay on a Tennessee farm to running multi-nationals in Belgium, Keith’s path weaves code, conscience, and commerce. This episode isn’t just about chocolate—it’s about how systems thinking meets soul-centered leadership.

If you’ve ever tried to scale a mission-driven brand, or wondered what it really takes to turn values into value—this one’s for you.

🎩 Summary

Keith shares his journey from a self-sufficient childhood on a Tennessee farm to a tech career with Dow, to building CPG brands with a conscience. We explore his pivot from global IT auditor to regenerative chocolate CEO, and how he pulled off a profitable turnaround in a climate-constrained market.

Keith and I unpack why internal auditing is a masterclass in leadership, how regenerative sourcing beats commoditized shortcuts, and why taste—not just mission—sells premium chocolate. Keith also opens up about leadership breakdowns, family dynamics, and what it means to lead with conviction, not control.

🎩 Hats Covered

• 🎩 1: The Soul
• 🎩 3: The Servant
• 🎩 4: The Entrepreneur
• 🎩 5: The Investor
• 🎩 7: The Seeker

💡 Key Takeaways

• 🎩 1: Leadership starts with listening—not knowing.
• 🎩 4: A turnaround requires brutal analysis and bold execution.
• 🎩 5: If you’re not profitable, your impact is temporary.
• 🎩 3: Mission must be practical—or it becomes a liability.
• 🎩 7: Presence and passion matter more than control.

👤 Guest Bio

Keith Bearden is the CEO and owner of Alter Eco, a premium chocolate brand rooted in regenerative agriculture, fair trade, and Swiss manufacturing. With a background in IT, auditing, and global operations, Keith has led food and beverage brands across Europe and North America.

From Yogi Tea to Beverage House to Alter Eco, Keith brings a systems mind and a servant heart to everything he builds. Under his leadership, Alter Eco became profitable for the first time in its 20-year history—during the worst cacao crisis in decades.

⏱️ Timestamps

•  00:02:00 – From farm boy to IT engineer
•  00:07:00 – Global audits, Belgium life, and listening as leadership
•  00:15:00 – From consulting to CPG: Portland and Yogi Tea
•  00:23:00 – Beverage House and the realities of contract manufacturing
•  00:31:00 – Buying Alter Eco in the middle of the cacao price crisis
•  00:40:00 – Making mission profitable in a volatile supply chain
•  00:48:00 – Trade spend mastery, SKU-level analysis, and right-sizing the team
•  00:55:00 – Family dynamics, collaboration, and servant leadership
•  01:02:00 – Who Keith had to stop being—and who he became to lead well
•  01:05:00 – Closing reflections 

✅ Actionables

• Ask: “If you were CEO for a day, what would you change?”
• Measure trade spend lift—and cut what doesn’t move product.
• Talk to the people doing the work before making the plan.
• Define profitability before chasing growth.
• Invest in product taste—before touting values.

🔥 Quotes

"Listen first. The answers are already inside the building."
"If it’s not profitable, your impact is on borrowed time."
"Don’t just be a brand with values—be a product people crave."
"Being needed isn’t leadership. Building systems is."
"Chocolate is simple to eat, but complex to source. Respect that."

🔗 Links

• Alter Eco – Regenerative chocolate done right
• Connect with Keith Bearden on LinkedIn

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