Madécasse, purveyor of single-origin chocolate bars and vanilla from Madagascar, unveiled its new identity as Beyond Good at Salon Du Chocolat, held Nov. 16-17 in New York City. 

The new branding sets the stage for Madécasse to move past its hard-to-pronounce name while stressing its rich flavor profile and impact of its high-quality products.

Initially founded in 2008, Beyond Good works directly with nearly 100 Malagasy farmers to source, ferment and dry heirloom cocoa. Earlier this year, the company partnered to establish a production factory in Antananarivo, which employs roughly 30 people to become the only U.S. producer making chocolate at the source in Madagascar.

"We’ve been in business for 11 years. We’ve known for about 10.5 of those years that our brand name wasn’t helping us,” said founder and CEO Tim McCollum. “Beyond Good gives us a platform to articulate the challenges in the global chocolate industry and what we’re doing to solve them.”

Beginning in January 2020, products bearing the new Beyond Good branding will begin to appear at retail locations, as well as through the company's advertising, website and social channels. The packaging will remain largely the same for the short term and will include “By Madecasse” to maintain brand recognition. 

The company collaborated with branding agency River & Wolf to craft an expressive name that emphasizes its robust range of flavors, sustainability standards and transparency practices. 

“Naming is never easy, especially re-brands, but it was a privilege to develop a name for this ethical and compassionate company,” said Margaret Wolfson, founder and creative director of River & Wolf. 

Available nationwide at natural stores and specialty markets, Beyond Good's chocolate bars are made with organic cocoa and non-GMO ingredients. They’re kosher, vegan and free of soy and gluten.