Tag: Cocoa

Nestlé programme sees improved incomes and better resilience among cocoa farming families

Stuart Mitchell

Nestlé’s income accelerator programme is delivering measurable improvements in income and household resilience among participating cocoa-farming families in Côte d’Ivoire. This is according to a new independent evaluation by the KIT Institute assessing progress made by the program in 2024. Despite the 2023/2024 cocoa season being one of the most challenging in recent years, marked by poor cocoa harvests due to changing weather patterns, households participating in the programme have seen yields 18% higher than the control group of cocoa farmers not in the programme. This has resulted in increased…

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Mars accelerates progress towards 100% responsibly sourced and traceable cocoa

Stuart Mitchell

Mars accelerates progress towards 100% responsibly sourced cocoa traceable from farm to first point of purchase by 2025 350,000 farmers in their supply chain rely on cocoa for their livelihoods. Cocoa isn’t just a key ingredient for some of our best-loved brands, like DOVE®/GALAXY® and M&Ms®, it is an essential part of our heritage. For over 100 years, they’ve been sourcing cocoa from around the globe. But their commitment goes beyond our own success – it’s about the farmers we depend on and that mutual reliance is what drives us…

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Fairtrade adds new certification requirement for cocoa and coffee to boost farmer incomes

Stuart Mitchell

In a move to deepen benefits for farmers, Fairtrade International has announced a new requirement for cooperatives and traders applying for cocoa or coffee certification. The requirement, which takes effect 1 June 2020, obligates cooperative and trader applicants to have commitments in place for new Fairtrade sales volumes in order to be eligible for certification. The commitments must be confirmed by the end buyer, whose products bear the FAIRTRADE Mark, and validated by the respective national Fairtrade organization. It will also be possible for new producer organizations to become certified,…

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Fairtrade leads the fight for decent incomes for cocoa farmers

Stuart Mitchell

With global cocoa prices stuck at unsustainably low levels, Fairtrade is moving a step closer towards securing a decent income for impoverished cocoa farmers – many of whom earn less than US$1 dollar a day. “Most cocoa farmers are unable to afford decent housing, food and education, and that will continue as long as chocolate traders, manufacturers and brands fail to address the issue of price,” said Fairtrade International CEO Darío Soto Abril. “Many farmers still live in extreme poverty.” As part of the solution to the huge power imbalances…

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Mondelēz International Expands Women’s Empowerment Plans in Cocoa Communities

Stuart Mitchell

Mondelēz International today announced new action plans to accelerate women’s empowerment across four cocoa origin countries as part of Cocoa Life, the company’s cocoa sustainability program. The company launched specific women’s empowerment action plans in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire in 2014 and is now expanding to include two additional origin countries, Indonesia and Dominican Republic. These new action plans will empower more than 100,000 women in over 1,000 communities in these four countries. Based on program learnings and insights from international and local partners, the plans focus on promoting women’s…

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