French premium chocolate manufacturer Valrhona, which was founded in the village of Tain l’Hermitage in 1922, oversees every aspect of its chocolate’s sustainable production, from bean to bar, in more than 30 terroirs and 20 origins, has been awarded a B Corporation certificate.
Valrhona joins the ranks of Patagonia, Innocent, The Body Shop, and Divine Chocolate as part of the B Corp community that brings together companies around the world who place their societal mission at the core of their purpose.
All must meet the most demanding standards in terms of social and environmental impact.
"The current crisis forces us to rethink our business models, way of life and the world of tomorrow. Even if recent months have shown us that we are capable of changing very quickly, the biggest transformation is still to come. Our organizations must no longer try to be the best in the world, but must also be the best for the world,” said Clémentine Alzial, CEO of Valrhona.
“Valrhona has been engaged in the responsible transformation of its economic and organizational model for several years. The company is working toward a just and sustainable cacao sector, takes care of the planet and pushes boundaries in gastronomy so that it is more responsible.”
Impressive performance
With 88.3 points, Valrhona is now the largest chocolate maker for professionals in the world to earn the B Corporation certification, an impressive performance as the average score for participating companies is 50.9 points.
Of the 80,000 organizations worldwide that have undertaken the evaluation, only 3,200 have received the certification, representing 130 industries and 60 countries.
“This rewards the companies that are the most committed in the world to performance, transparency, and social and environmental responsibility. This distinction is recognition for our sustainable development strategy, Live Long, and our company-wide mission, ‘Together, good becomes better,’ said Alzial.
While the B Corporation certification is valuable recognition for Valrhona, it’s also an opportunity to accelerate the company’s roadmap and rethink tomorrow. To keep its certifications, B Corp businesses must continue their actions over time and build on their progress as their status is re-evaluated every three years.
