Jody Hayden is co-owner of Grocer’s Daughter Chocolate and has devoted her entire career to elevating the specialty coffee and chocolate industries. In 2001, she co-founded Michigan’s first fair trade coffee roaster, Higher Grounds Trading Co, and served several terms on the Board of Directors of Cooperative Coffees, a unique green bean importing cooperative of mission-driven coffee roasters throughout the United States and Canada.
Jody has led over 30 consumer delegations to coffee and cacao growing regions in Central America, South America and Africa with the goal to educate consumers about the realities of commodity coffee and cacao farming.
Jody lives in Traverse City, Michigan with her husband, DC, two sons and pets. She spends her leisure time hiking, biking, and skiing at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, relaxing at a local beach or planning her next scuba-diving adventure. Jody currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Heirloom Cacao Preservation Fund and volunteers with several local non-profits in the Traverse City, MI area. She has successfully completed the Fine Cacao and Chocolate Institute’s Cacao Grader Intensive course as well as Ecole Chocolat’s Professional Chocolatier and Mastering Chocolate Flavor programs. She is a Goldman Sachs 10KSB alumni and serves on the advisory committee for the Ecuador Cacao and Chocolate Summit.