With supply concerns heightened by recent flooding in some of Cote d’Ivoire’s cocoa farms, there are concerns it could affect the start of the next October-to-March main crop, farmers told local media at the beginning of the week, while NY cocoa prices...
Organisers of the Cacao of Excellence Awards Ceremony have announced the event will take place on 8 February 2024 as part of the CHOCOA Trade Show, Chocolate Makers’ Forum, Conference and Chocolate Festival during Amsterdam Cocoa Week, uniting the world’s...
In the rugged landscapes of rural Colombia, where conflict and adversity have cast a shadow for over 50 years, an unlikely hero has emerged: cocoa. Beyond its delectable taste and aroma, cocoa is proving to be a powerful force for driving peace and prosperity...
The global provider of sustainable agricultural solutions has published its annual progress report under the Cocoa Forest Initiative (CFI), claiming it has exceeded all targets across each reporting category.
Few ecosystems are as important as rainforests, but with scientists claiming we are close to a tipping point and that a massive process of forest restoration is needed to cut carbon emissions to net zero by 2030, ConfectioneryNews spoke with Kerry Daroci,...
Swiss-based Jacobs Foundation, along with the Colombian Ministry of Education and Fundación Empresarios por la Educación, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to contribute to the improvement of the holistic learning outcomes of children in Colombia...
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has announced a new project to promote sustainable cocoa and coffee production in Indonesia with The Hershey Company, Rikolto, the Indonesian government, and PT. Olam Indonesia - part of olam...
Fine Chocolate Industry Association has announced it has added a new term to its recently launched Glossary that combines the concepts of Fairtrade and Made at Origin.
Following a successful year of rapid growth and strong progress on sustainability, Tony’s Chocolonely has raised an additional €20m of capital from its existing shareholders to accelerate the delivery of its mission, the Dutch ethical brand has announced.
Barry Callebaut has announced it has extended its long-term global agreement for the supply of cocoa and chocolate with Unilever, intensifying its collaboration in areas of innovation and sustainability.
It is not every day that you get to plant your own sustainable cocoa tree, but I was allowed the honour by the team at Compañía Nacional de Chocolates on a visit to its Guacamayas Farm in Urabá, Antioquia, in Colombia, to see the work underway to boost...
Fairtrade has launched a new programme to support its certified Ivorian and Ghanaian cocoa cooperatives to strengthen prevention and remediation of child labour and forced labour.
Rising costs of cocoa on the commodity markets could push up the cost of chocolate in the coming months, according to data from the consumer intelligence database NielsenIQ
Ethical Dutch brand Tony’s Chocolonely has announced the inclusion of two UK brands as ‘Mission Allies’ in its sustainable supply chain, which has been established to address issues such as child labour and farmer poverty in the cocoa sector.
I have spent close to 30 years working on the ground in West Africa alongside rural communities, including cocoa-growing communities. In that time, I have learned a lot about why deforestation happens in the first place and the most effective ways we...
Colombian B2B sustainable chocolate brand Cordillera Chocolates is launching a long-term strategy to develop the roles of female cocoa growers with a strong emphasis on entrepreneurship and leadership.
Tony’s Chocolonely has announced it has implemented a new legal ‘golden share’ mechanism to indefinitely protect its mission of producing ‘slave free chocolate’ – regardless of shareholder structure.
Regular consumption of cocoa and red berries may prevent or postpone cardiovascular morbidity associated with aging by modulating intestinal microbiota, according to a team of Spanish researchers.
Colombian sustainable B4B (business-for-business) chocolate manufacturer, Luker Chocolate has announced that it has been certified as a B Corporation, highlighting its dedication to driving transformational change in the cocoa industry.
In a bid to create a more “memorable” identity, Israeli food-tech company DouxMatok is rebranding to share the same “single, powerful” name as its signature sugar reduction product – Incredo – which it plans to further develop and commercialize with the...
As an experiment, I turned to the Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbot ChatGPT* to obtain an outside eye on the current state of the cocoa industry. I was curious to know if a computer algorithm could come up with credible answers to the main issues that...
The World Health Organization (WHO) has released a new guideline on non-sugar sweeteners (NSS), which recommends against the use of NSS to control body weight or reduce the risk of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs).
Among other ambitious targets, a goal of the TSIRO Alliance in Madagascar is to 'conserve biodiverse ecosystems'. It’s a tall order, but one that the programme is uniquely designed to meet.
The World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) has announced Christine McGrath, SVP and Chief Impact & Sustainability Officer at Mondelēz International, as its new chair, along with two new board officers.
Both countries’ economies have been ‘hit hard by the triple shock of the Covid-19 pandemic, global financial tightening, and adverse spillovers from Russia’s war in Ukraine’.
Nestlé officially inaugurated its Lausanne, Switzerland-based research institute, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, to improve agricultural sustainability throughout its supply chain.
Barry Callebaut Group has announced significant changes to its Forever Chocolate sustainability programme adding additional targets and sharpening existing ones as it looks to make sustainable chocolate the norm beyond 2025.
The International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) has announced the reappointment of Michel Arrion as Executive Director for a period of 5 years until 30 September 2028.
ConfectioneryNews was invited by Barry Callebaut, the world’s largest cocoa supplier and chocolate manufacturer with a significant operational presence in Cote d’Ivoire, to report on how the country is adapting to new challenges in its supply chain.
The Alliance for Fair Sugar Policy (AFSP), a broad-based coalition advocating to modernise the outdated US sugar programme established by Congress more than 80 years ago, hosted a recent panel discussion on opportunities to reform the legislation in the...
The International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) has reported cocoa prices at the halfway mark of the year (2022-23) of the first position of cocoa futures were broadly higher year-on-year on both the London and New York markets.
In the week that the European Parliament adopted a new law to fight global deforestation and ahead of Earth Day (22 April), Satelligence has announced results of a collaboration with Swedish sustainable ingredients supplier AAK on helping it verify its...
The European Parliament has formally adopted a new law to fight global deforestation with cocoa, coffee, palm-oil, soya, wood, rubber, charcoal printed paper products and cattle covered by the new rules, which obliges companies to ensure products sold...
The European Cocoa Organisation (ECA) has reported that 375,375 tonnes of raw cocoa were ground for the 1st quarter of 2023. This corresponds to a slight increase of 0.5% compared to the same quarter of the previous year.
Cocoa production in Colombia has increased by over 60% in the past 12 years and according to the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO), in 2020, Colombia ranked 10th in the world in terms of annual cocoa production.
We all know that eating fruit is better for us than eating doughnuts. One is essential to keep us healthy, the other, perhaps, nearly essential to avoid. However, both doughnuts and most fruits are high in sugar, an ingredient widely considered to lead...
Europe’s largest sweets and snacks trade fair, ISM 2023, returns to Cologne, Germany at the weekend, boasting more than 1,300 exhibitors from 70 countries presenting major trends in the international confectionery industry.
As reported in CN earlier this month, Amsterdam’s Chocoa Conference will now take place from 7 to 11 February 2024 in cooperation with the World Cocoa Foundation’s Partnership Meeting, which will run from 6 to 7 February in the same venue (Beurs van Berlage)...
The Barry Callebaut Group has moved into the heart of New York City with the official inauguration of its latest Chocolate Academy, which will become a centre of excellence for chefs and artisans to develop and showcase their confectionery talent and...
Premium sustainability chocolate brand MIA (Made in Africa) has carved out a unique reputation for itself since launching several years ago in Madagascar, crafting bean-to-bar products in cocoa-growing communities.
Olam Group Limited has published its 2022 Annual Report, which highlights its financial and non-financial achievements across three comprehensive components: Strategic Report, Governance Report and Financial Report.
The West African country is the world’s largest cocoa grower, but sustainability problems persist despite numerous government and industry interventions, as highlighted by two recent reports.
In news over-shadowed by the shock resignation of CEO Peter Boone, Barry Callebaut announced sales volumes in the six months ending 28 February fell 2.9% to 1.13 million tonnes and has lowered its sales volume guidance as inflationary pressures continue...
The World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) has announced its next Partnership Meeting will take place in Amsterdam at the Beurs van Berlage (Old Stock Exchange) from 6 to 7 February 2024, immediately followed by the CHOCOA conference, which will take place in the...
The Board of Directors has appointed Peter Feld (57, German national) as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Barry Callebaut Group, with immediate effect. Feld succeeds Peter Boone who is stepping down for personal reasons.
While many companies claim ‘100% sustainably sourced cocoa’ on their chocolate bars, these sustainability claims cannot be ‘ necessarily’ trusted,' according to the latest ‘Chocolate Scorecard’ that has analysed companies selling chocolate around...
Délifrance has unveiled the next chapter of its ‘Prove It’ series, this time taking a deep dive into sustainability trends and whether the UK bakery sector is moving the needle in the right direction.
