Gerard Manley, CEO of ofi’s Cocoa business and the group’s Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO), has announced he will will retire at the end of June 2023 after 25 years with the company.
Cocoa prices posted moderate losses on the New York and London ICE exchanges at the end of last week. May ICE NY cocoa (CCK23) closed down -51 (-1.80%), and May ICE London cocoa #7 (CAK23) closed down -26 (-1.20%) as a stronger dollar sparked long liquidation...
The Singapore-based agribusiness said it remains ‘cautiously optimistic' about its prospects for 2023’ despite reporting 24.5% lower earnings of S$200.0 million (US$148.52m) for the year ending 31 December 2022.
ASEAN consumer confidence in regional trade relations with the European Union have plummeted on the back of the latter’s recently-passed deforestation law and its impacts on various food commodities, as major palm oil producing countries in the region...
Brazilian cocoa farmers are putting pressure on the government to suspend imports from Cote d’Ivoire over a fear the cargo will also include insects and weed seeds such as Striga weed, putting local cocoa farms at risk.
Nigeria’s cocoa exporters say they are also struggling to honour contracts, and many are suspending activities due to challenges, including a shortfall of cash to pay labourers and transporters.
Conseil du Café-Cacao (CCC), Cote d’Ivoire’s cocoa regulator, has issued a statement that it expects the country’s cocoa exporters to fulfill their contracts despite supply chain issues at ports.
Cocoa exporters in Cote d’Ivoire are reportedly close to defaulting on their contracts due to a lack of beans and urgently need up to 150,000 tonnes to honour their commitments.
Digital payments are increasingly accepted in cocoa-growing origins and after decades of farmer-level cash transactions, cocoa farmers in Brazil and Ecuador were the first in Barry Callebaut’s supply chain to go digital with payments.
Weakness in global cocoa demand weighed on cocoa prices, barchart.com reported, as modest losses at the end of last week were posted with NY cocoa falling to a 1-month low and London cocoa falling to a five-week low.
The European Union has agreed a new law to prevent companies from selling cocoa and other commodities into the EU market that can be traced back to deforestation around the world.
The German ingredients supplier is investing in UK-based Clean Food Group (CFG) – a start-up developing a bio-equivalent cultivated alternative to palm oil – via its investment arm, Doehler Ventures.
Cote d’Ivoire’s cocoa farmers have confirmed that soil moisture on their lands should be sufficient to support the main crop over the next two months, despite the world’s top cocoa producer entering its dry season that lasts until March.
Recent flash flooding in West and Central Africa has hindered Cote d’Ivoire’s transportation of cocoa beans from the farms to the ports and could be the reason for the reduction of cocoa arrivals seen during the first few weeks of the main 2022-23 season...
Analysts and traders are keeping a close eye on an ongoing strike by dock workers at San Pedro, one of Cote d’Ivoire’s two main ports, while ICE NY cocoa closed up +72 (+2.96%), and December ICE London cocoa closed up +9 (+0.44%).
Barry Callebaut caught the market by surprise by rescheduling its Full-Year Results 2021-22 analysts and media call to Tuesday instead of today (Wednesday 2 November) after the figures were published early due to an ‘unforeseen event’. The world’s largest...
Cocoa farmers, as well as workers in other commodities and crops, experienced a boost in Fairtrade Premium earnings thanks to a recovery in Fairtrade product sales throughout 2021, Fairtrade International’s latest annual report has revealed.
The Association of the German Confectionery Industry (BDSI) has confirmed the third-quarter 2022 cocoa grind fell 4.7% on the year to 100,149 tonnes, following a 3.7% increase in the second quarter.
The EU’s recent approval of its controversial deforestation regulation is expected to drive up the cost of palm oil and other affected commodities, and thus food and beverage prices, amid ongoing inflationary pressures that have already affected a majority...
The Ghanaian Government has increased the producer price of Cocoa by 21% for the 2022-2023 crop season – and said it will be ready for new EU rules on cocoa imports.
After the pound hit a record low against the US dollar at the end of September, the Fairtrade Foundation is warning of the potential impact of the market volatility, both on farmers in low-income countries and the UK shoppers who buy the food they grow.
The ECA’s Cocoa Forum 2022 looked at the supply & demand functionality in the industry regarding the right package of policy actions in a fluctuating market.
The International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) has forecast a 230,000-tonne global cocoa deficit in the current 2021-22 season (October-September), up from a previous projection of a deficit of 174,000 tonnes.
The UK woke up this morning (7 September) to a new leader and with hopes the new government will immediately take steps to alleviate the crushing living prices that are badly impacting consumers and putting industry at risk.
The result of a three-year study by a multi-disciplinary panel of four experts into the sources of lead and cadmium in cocoa and chocolate - and how levels may be reduced in the future - has been published by the National Confectioners Association (NCA)...
Compared to 292,471 tonnes of beans produced and marketed during the 2020-2021 season, Cameroon’s Office national du cacao et du Café (ONCC) said a total of 295,163 tonnes of beans were harvested in the 2021-2022 season.
Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Mohammad Mahmood Abubakar, has doubled down on the country’s pledge to increase its cocoa production from the present 340,000 tonnes to 500,000 tonnes by 2024.
Uncommon Cacao, which describes itself as the ‘first Transparent Trade cacao supply chain company,' has released its 2021 Transparency Report covering key performance indicators over the past 12 months.
Relief for small and medium-sized businesses is urgently needed, said the Federal Association of the German Confectionery Industry (BDSI), after Germany’s federal government sets a gas levy to provide financial support for gas importers.
Finnish confectioner Fazer is working to secure a sustainable future cocoa supply. The company believes cellular agriculture could be part of that vision.
A pioneering initiative by Barry Callebaut and Prova to improve the livelihoods of vanilla farmers in Madagascar has been expanded, the parties have announced.
Cocoa prices closed up on Wednesday (10 August) +35 (+1.48%), and September ICE London cocoa #7 (CAU22) closed up +3 (+0.17%) after support from the sharp sell-off in the dollar, which supported commodity prices in general.
Fresh research has investigated consumer perceptions of palm oil in Switzerland and whether they are familiar with the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) label.
The two world's biggest cocoa producers, Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana, have announced they are raising the price of their beans to help farmers earn a decent living income.
Barry Callebaut said the financial impact of the shutdown at its Wieze factory because of a salmonella outbreak is being assessed, but the Group expects it to be notable for the financial results in the fourth quarter of 2021-22.
The European Cocoa Organization (ECA) has reported an increase in cocoa grinding figures for the second quarter of 2022 with 364,081 tonnes of raw cocoa ground - an increase of 2.0% compared to the same quarter in the previous year.
The nut arm of global ingredients specialist has announced its first sustainability targets for its 50,000 acres of almond orchards and farming operations in Australia, the US and Vietnam.
Cocoa prices rallied in the week ending 24 June, after the Cote d’Ivoire government reported that cocoa farmers sent a cumulative 2.24 MMT of cocoa to its ports from 1 October 1 to 19 June, down -1.8% y/y.
Nigeria’s cocoa sector has renewed its efforts to join the Living Income Differential (LID) set up by neighbouring Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire to protect their farmers by increasing income.
Nigeria’s cocoa sector has announced a move to potentially join the Living Income Differential (LID) system set up by West African neighbours Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire to pay cocoa farmers more for their beans.
The German confectionery industry expects to produce 239 million chocolate Easter bunnies this year - despite difficulties in procuring packaging materials, which have been aggravated by the war in Ukraine.
The Malaysian palm oil sector is calling for the implementation of better branding and consumer communication strategies to increase its marketability, saying that providing high quality and sustainable products is not enough to achieve export recognition.