Chocolate and Easter go together like the proverbial horse and carriage but this year, leading UK chocolatier Will Torrent is calling on consumers to spend their money where it counts, and trade up to a better quality product.
‘I always advise friends that when it comes to chocolate it’s really worth paying a little more for a high quality, ethically sourced bar. Chocolate is over commoditised to the point that we take it for granted, but cocoa is a precious ingredient that can only be grown in a very specific climate. We need to appreciate it’s true value and be prepared to pay a price that reflects that.
I’m a fiend for flavour, so I always look for ‘single origin’ which really shows-off the subtleties of different varieties. Yes, it’s true cocoa tastes different on either side of the Atlantic! High cocoa content is also a must for me – at least 60% or above. And certifications, such as the Fairtrade logo, help give you confidence that the farmers growing the beans are getting the best price for their hard work.’
‘We need to be more connected to the cocoa farmers who grow the raw ingredients for the chocolate we love,’ continued Will, who, as an ambassador for international development agency Tearfund, travelled with the charity to the Ivory Coast recently. ‘As a chocolatier I’ve seen photos and talked about the process of harvesting cocoa many times, but to see it first hand blew me away. On this visit I walked with a farmer through his plantation and learned what it’s like to farm cocoa – which isn’t as easy as you think. It’s actually a very lengthy process compared to other crops such as coffee.’
Tearfund showed Will the entire process of making chocolate from bean to bar, including growing, harvesting, fermenting, drying, roasting and processing and he was able to make friends with cocoa farmers like Clement, visit their plantations, cut a cacao pod from a tree, prepare beans for market and plant other beans to become new trees.
The Ivory Coast is well-known as a top producer of cocoa, selling the product worldwide. But cocoa farmers at the grassroots level are often economically poor, living in very basic conditions. While the country supplies 40% of the world’s cocoa it only receives between 5% and 7% of the profit generated by the sector globally, and what profit there is tends to be concentrated in the processing and distribution phases rather than with the farmers. A recent report from the World Bank1 estimates 54.9% of Ivorian cocoa producers and their families currently live below the poverty line.
Tearfund are helping farmers to adopt improved cultivation methods on their cocoa plantations, to make and use organic compost, to grow a wider range of food crops to provide healthier diets for their families and communities, and to manage budgets and forecasts.
Will summed up his experience: ‘Visiting Ivory Coast really made me think about the industry I am in. I eat chocolate every day and I encourage people to enjoy chocolate but we need to remember the farmers and where chocolate comes from.’
For further information about Tearfund’s work, please visit www.tearfund.org
