Mars, Mondelēz, Nestlé, Hershey, and Lindt team up to transform future of cocoa

Summary of TogetherCocoa initiative

• Five major confectionery companies launch TogetherCocoa to support cocoa communities
• Initiative focuses on closing living income gaps in West Africa
• Companies aim to strengthen long‑term resilience of global cocoa supply chains
• Collaboration includes governments suppliers and wider cocoa‑sector stakeholders
• Foundation’s impact will be shared as programme details further develop

Five of the biggest confectionery companies in the world have joined forces to create TogetherCocoa – a foundation to support cocoa-growing communities.

Mars Incorporated, Mondelēz International, Nestlé, The Hershey Company, and Lindt & Sprüngli say TogetherCocoa “builds on longstanding efforts to help close the living income gap for cocoa-farming households in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana”.

The confectionery giants, which rely upon the commodity for many of their products, also hope to foster greater collaboration across the industry, in order to strengthen the resilience of the global cocoa supply chain.

“We are working closely with the governments of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, our supply-chain partners, and stakeholders across the cocoa sector as this initiative evolves,” says Todd Scott, senior manager of communications at Hershey. “We look forward to sharing more details as the foundation’s work progresses.”

Cocoa’s future

The launch of TogetherCocoa could mark a turning point for a sector grappling with economic volatility, climate pressures, and ongoing human‑rights concerns.

While each of the participating companies has run its own sustainability programmes for years, the decision to pool resources signals a shift towards more coordinated action in regions where support is urgently needed.

As the initiative rolls out in the months ahead, the global cocoa industry will be looking to TogetherCocoa as a litmus test for how collaboration, rather than competition, might shape the future of one of the world’s most beloved treats.

We’ll wait to see if other big names, including Ferrero Group, Pladis, and Storck join the collective.