We meet in the executive lounge in the McCormick Place Conference Center, which the NCA has taken over for the week with the Sweets & Snacks Expo 2022 taking up almost four-and-half acres of floor space, which signifies the biggest confectionery show in the North America is back to almost full strength after two years … Read more
The company said its ESG strategy and goals prioritise delivering lasting change at scale through ‘innovative and holistic approaches, collaboration for sector-wide transformation and adoption of measurable solutions’. ESG remains a long-term value driver at Mondelēz and is core to the company’s purpose, it said in a statement to the media: ‘The 2021 Snacking Made … Read more
The Cocoa, Forest and Diversity Agreement In the context of growing demand and new European regulations for deforestation-free products, the Sustainable Production Coalition (Coalición por una Producción Sostenible), a Peruvian multi-stakeholder platform, is promoting the country’s cocoa sector agreement: ‘The Cocoa, Forest and Diversity Agreement’. Members of Peru cocoa’s Sustainable Production Coalition. Pic: solidaridadsouthamerica.org The … Read more
Founded in 2017, Koa is disrupting the cocoa industry through its innovative upcycling of the cocoa fruit. Koa is the first company in West Africa to have unlocked a new value chain around the so-far-discarded cocoa pulp. Working closely with cocoa smallholders, Koa reduces on-farm food waste around the cocoa fruit and generates additional farmer … Read more
Q: Why is deforestation an issue in the cocoa industry? Andrew Brooks: The root cause is low farmer incomes. Most cocoa farmers have small amounts of land, so they can’t grow enough cocoa to fully support their families. To bring in extra income, they may resort to clearing more land to farm. That’s why we … Read more
Supported by a grant from the Open Society Foundations, the report, What Makes Co-operatives Work?, outlines recommendations for Fairtrade and the cocoa sector at large, developed after researchers conducted an in-depth study into the functions of s and heard feedback from two case study cocoa cooperatives in Ghana. The recommendations include proposals for how better … Read more
A group of MEPs from The European Parliament has called for the European Commission (EC) to enter into negotiations with Cote d’Ivoire following a proposal by the two largest cocoa producing countries to establish an Economic Pact for Sustainable Cocoa to address the entire Cocoa cocoa value chain. An Economic Pact that addresses the key … Read more
With support from Fairtrade, USAID, I4DI and ECOOKIM, the farmer-first programs will aim to support 14,000 smallholder farmers in Côte d’Ivoire and Indonesia on a path to sustainable living income in the next eight years. “Ten years ago, Mars decoded the cocoa plant genome for the first time. Today we are aiming to crack the … Read more
The news was announced alongside the release of its 2021 Impact report, where Divine Chocolate described how it has enabled farmers to build sustainable livelihoods in partnership with four farmer cooperatives in Africa. Highlights of the Impact Report include: Kuapa Kokoo Farmers Union in Ghana (who grew the high quality cocoa that makes Divine Chocolate … Read more
With support from Fairtrade, USAID, I4DI and ECOOKIM, the farmer-first programs will aim to support 14,000 smallholder farmers in Côte d’Ivoire and Indonesia on a path to sustainable living income in the next eight years. “Ten years ago, Mars decoded the cocoa plant genome for the first time. Today we are aiming to crack the … Read more