ETHICAL COCOA SOURCING Interested in hearing more?


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undertaking productivity, diversifi cation and quality programs to improve the yield (without increasing child labour).


Despite its efforts, Ben points out that there was only


so much the company could do alone. “This is why a big part of our work and mission is to inspire other chocolate makers and cocoa buyers to join the Tony’s Open Chain way of working.”


Cultivating better Founded in 1868, Guittard & Co. is believed to be the oldest continuously family-owned and operated chocolate- making business in the United States. It is licensed by Fair Trade USA as well as the Rainforest Alliance and Organic Certifi ers. It’s approach to ethical sourcing can be illustrated by its 2016 mission to ‘Cultivate Better’. The programme is built on four pillars – protecting fl avour and supporting people and communities, honourable sourcing and preserving the environment. Guittard believes sustainability is the key to better


chocolate. It sources cocoa beans from around the world for quality and sustainability, selecting single origins for their fl avours and attributes. It favours shade-grown cacao which contributes to more complex fl avours while preserving biodiversity and supporting climate resilience.


Ethical partnering Chocolatier Vandenbulcke is a third-generation Belgian chocolate company and is believed to be the fi rst Belgian chocolatier to gain a Fairtrade certifi cate. “We partner with chocolate providers such as Barry


Callebaut who has its own ethical and sustainable principles in the form of its Cocoa Horizons platform and Puratos/ Belcolade who has the Cacao-Trace sourcing programme. In addition to Fairtrade, we also have Rainforest Alliance certifi cation,” explains Jelle Vandenbulcke, CEO at Chocolatier Vandenbulcke. Discussing the fi nancial implications of ethical sourcing,


Jelle says: “Yes, it costs us more, but consumers and retailers understand that a higher price needs to be paid to ensure the sustainable and ethical provenance of their chocolate. Of course we always struggle with prices when negotiating with retailers – it’s a way of life! However, most retailers understand where the additional cost comes from and they accept it. “We are also working on a new product with Barry Callebaut which sees the chocolate fi lling being created


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from the pulp of the cocoa fruit. This makes the chocolate even more sustainable as we are utilising more of the crop, helping reduce waste and helping farmers to make greater profi t from their harvest.” Jelle says that the benefi ts of sourcing ethically outweigh


any additional costs and he believes it should be seen as an opportunity. “I believe that the prime consideration for retailers today is no longer cost – when it comes to sourcing products, sustainability has taken over. Of course there is still a lot of work to be done by the chocolate industry as a whole and we all have to do what we can.”


Craft success Philipp Kaufmann, founder of Original Beans, is of the mind that the chocolate industry, as a whole, is still not doing enough when it comes to ethical souring, but points out that it is not the only sector not doing enough! “Chocolate on the shelves of most supermarkets today is mostly made of white sugar, which is also the cheapest ingredient, so it is not just down to the cacao industry to change the image of chocolate,” he says. “Unfortunately, the owners of the ‘big candy’ companies are not feeling the pain – it is the children in the plantations who are working long hours to help their family make ends meet and living in substandard accommodation with little or no access to healthcare facilities that pay the price,” he says sombrely. Let’s end with some good news though. “Change is


happening,” says Philipp. “In the last two or three years we have seen a huge rise in sustainability as a theme within the chocolate sector. Increasingly, retailers and consumers are seeing the current certifi cations relied upon within the chocolate sector as being a minimum requirement. Today to succeed producers really need to go further than just ticking the sustainability and ethical boxes if they are to stand a chance,” says Philipp. “My advice to craft chocolatiers is to talk to one of the specialised craft cacao trading companies who put a focus onto the story behind the individual growers. This can give a product the traceability and provenance that consumers want to see today.” So, it appears that change is happening – although many


have voiced the opinion that there is still much more to be done. In line with other industry sectors the light is now well and truly being shone on issues surrounding ethical and sustainable practices and consumers are voting with their purchasing choices. To remain on the shelves in the years to come there is no choice but for chocolate companies large and small to focus on doing the right thing.


Kennedy’s Confection December 2022/January 2023 33


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