Big Interview
What work have you begun with Guylian that you could tell us about? We have recently announced a partnership with premium Belgian chocolate brand Guylian, world famous for its chocolate Seashells as it converts 100% of its cocoa to Fairtrade. The conversion will see almost USD $495,624 in Fairtrade Premium go back to West African cocoa farmers in Guylian’s supply chain which they will democratically decide how to spend against their social and environmental goals. The announcement came as Guylian shifts its focus on sustainability as part of a strategy which includes transitioning to more sustainable production. As a result, the chocolate with hazelnut praline sold across four continents and in 120 countries, now has a new recipe, comes in new packaging and carries the distinctive blue and green Fairtrade logo. From relaunch, Guylian will offer a selected limited curated range, which will be available all year round in the UK. The focus is primarily on the Seashells and Seahorses, as well as on the individually wrapped Seahorses and a range of 100g premium tablets. In addition, Guylian will also be launching themed packaging around the key annual gifting moments. Finally, the packaging for the duty-free channel will also get a makeover. All new packaging has been designed to be fully recyclable. Guylian is also looking into ways of further reducing its use of paper and plastic. Since the start of this year, the production site in Sint-Niklaas is “fully climate neutral”, which means that CO2 emissions have been reduced to the lowest possible level and all other emissions are compensated. Finally, since 2018, palm oil and soya are no longer used in the production process in order to prevent deforestation.
How does collaborating with supermarkets help to spread the message? Working with supermarkets has been a great way to drive significant benefits back to cocoa farmers, especially through major category switches such as Co-op converting all their cocoa to Fairtrade, including in their list of ingredients, Waitrose committing to all Fairtrade chocolate. More recently we’ve seen Lidl and Aldi also make major moves to Fairtrade cocoa. Partnerships with supermarkets are a fantastic way for shoppers to know they are making a difference through their everyday shopping choices. As well as on pack, customers hear about Fairtrade at point of sale as well as through wider comms. Partners such as Co-op and Waitrose get very involved in our annual Fairtrade Fortnight campaign and very much help drive awareness. Fairtrade believes that its Fairtrade Sourced Ingredient (FSI) certification model - which carries a separate label to indicate that one ingredient is Fairtrade certified - has given companies much greater flexibility to incorporate Fairtrade cocoa into their product ranges. It’s a very convenient way for brands and retailers to make commitments across all products where cocoa is used, meaning they can offer Fairtrade options across different price points. Asda for example launched a chocolate bar using our FSI model recently.
KennedysConfection.com
What does a day in your job role look like? Lots of meetings and conversations! To tackle the complex issues that Fairtrade focuses on – with the urgency that’s needed – I believe we need to come together in bilateral and multi-stakeholder dialogues to discuss the challenges and drive solutions. Fairtrade cannot do it on its own, other organisations can’t do it on their own, which is why working with commercial partners, donors, NGOs and thought leaders and building connections is so critical. At present it’s also about speaking with my team as well as other teams and groups around the world. The wealth of knowledge and expertise in my team is huge and particularly being on three months in role, I’m tapping into as much of this as I can.
I’ve been told that I have endless amounts of drive and energy when I’m passionate about my work which is certainly the case in this new role. But I do make sure I constantly reinforce to colleagues the importance of a good work life balance. As a mother of two young children myself, I know I do my job better when I know my children are thriving and I’m being a good role model to them. I’m lucky to have found an organisation that prioritises and supports me to do this.
What is the best advice you have ever received and from whom? To trust my gut, and it was such a shift in my productivity and what I achieved once I did. To listen and be nice to people. You never know when you might need them. And that pressure makes diamonds! If it makes you feel nervous or you are out of your comfort zone, then you are achieving something!
What do you see for the future of commercial relationships for Fairtrade? A dream commercial relationship?
Partnerships with a clear and unique purpose; and interventions that go right across the value chain - from sustainable sourcing, innovation and programmes through to cross-sector and government advocacy; to driving citizen mobilisation and engagement, and amplification through public-private sector match funding. One area I’m keen to explore more is how we use our joint platforms in partnerships to engage the public more on these issues and how individuals can play a role and be part of the solution. I feel we are sitting on untold stories of what is happening in the real world and we need to be much more on the front foot with consumers particularly as they look more deeply at what’s behind brands and demand honest products. With Fairtrade’s embedded relationships with Cocoa farming communities, knowledge and expertise, plus huge brand recognition with 93% awareness and 83% trusting the Fairtrade mark, we have so much opportunity to deliver significant impact for farmers, workers and producers globally working with our partners. These are exciting times for Fairtrade and I feel very honoured to be part of it.
Kennedy’s Confection July 2022 9
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