olam food ingredients’ (ofi’s) flavour experts share their predictions on how families will tap into this season’s flavour trends to create a ‘Spooktacular’ 31 October.
Off the back of Tony's Chocolonely’s warning that the new cocoa farmgate price is still too low, other chocolate brands and global organisations call for an end to corporate greed and push for equity.
Cocoa prices climbed this week as the result of stronger global cocoa demand, with barchart.com reporting that Gepex, an exporter group that includes six of the world's biggest cocoa grinders, said that its Q3 cocoa processing was 183,731 MT, up...
Amid rising farmgate prices yet insufficient Living Income Reference Prices (LIRP), cocoa companies turn to communication, connection and collaboration throughout the sector to advocate better wages for farmers.
Alfred Theodor Ritter, chairman of the advisory board of Alfred Ritter GmbH & Co. KG, Germany, has been announced as the winner of the 50th Anniversary European Candy Kettle Award.
Law provides a framework to investigate the use of forced labour in companies’ supply chains. All goods made using forced labour to be halted at EU borders and withdrawn from the market.
The International Chocolate and Cocoa Festival, which has been established in Brazil for more than 30 years, returns to Portugal for its second European edition, with a main theme of exploring the concept of terroir.
Five million, mainly small-scale farmers produce 75% of the world’s cocoa, and earning a living income has become the key objective for the cocoa sector. Still, despite various initiatives, it hasn’t changed core business practices so far. According to...
As VP of Corporate Communications at Barry Callebaut Group, Christiaan Prins was at the forefront of many of the recent sustainability challenges in the cocoa sector. He has now established a new strategic communications consultancy, theLOOP Communications,...
Belcolade, the Puratos-owned Belgian Chocolate brand, has opened a new carbon-neutral chocolate factory, running on 100% renewable electricity, sourcing 90% of its water from collected rainwater, and using five times less energy in heat production.
Cocoa production is decisively linked with women, and sustainable value chains are, too. However, how will their roles differ with the upcoming EU legislation on deforestation, and in a broader issue, will it threaten cocoa and chocolate exporters?
French cocoa supplier the Touton Group said it is adjusting its business strategy to meet upcoming sustainability and compliance requirements with a fresh investment in climate-friendly solutions and a commitment to strengthen its collaboration with partner...
With 95% of exported beans classed as ‘fine flavour cacao’, Colombia's reputation in the world of chocolate is unparalleled, and after a successful showing at Seattle’s NorthWest Chocolate Festival by a quartet of artisanal companies, the word is...
The International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) marked half a century of commitment to sustainable growth in the cocoa sector with a special celebration held in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, where it is now headquartered.
India’s West Godavari region is emerging as a craft chocolate capital, and the launch of Manam Chocolate could well put Indian cocoa on the global map.
To mark World Cocoa & Chocolate Day (which took place on 1 October) Magnum ice cream has released more details on its female empowerment programme, upscaling the work to reach thousands of additional women throughout cocoa communities in the West...
The Women in Cocoa & Chocolate Network (WINCC) has announced an especially convened online session with Colombia’s Cordillera Chocolate to explore how the upcoming EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) could provide opportunities for women empowerment...
The country’s cocoa production sector is under serious threat with climate change, disease, moribund farms, overaged tree stock, an aging farmer population, and an acute labour shortage, just some of the issues affecting productivity … that is why we...
Monk fruit has gained popularity as a natural sweetener, and is poised for growth alongside natural and better-for-you trends as consumers and brands reduce sugar across categories, Monk Fruit Corp.'s GM David Thorrold told FoodNavigator-USA.
The family-owned company has been processing cocoa beans into cocoa mass, butter, and powder at its own exclusively organic plant in Winterthur, Switzerland, since June 2022 and says an assessment carried out this month shows there have been no pesticide...
Cargill, one of the world’s largest cocoa suppliers, has been ordered by a Brazilian court to pay 600,000 reais ($120,185) as indemnity for allegedly buying cocoa from farms where child labour or forced work has been identified.
For a long time, there has been no commonly agreed way of assessing and communicating the quality of cacao, the seed from which stems cocoa and chocolate. Now, however, a new initiative has been unveiled that will aim to do just that, with contributions...
UK-based drinking chocolate brand, Cocoa Canopy, has announced a new format for its 900g foodservice packs across all five of its varieties, supplying the sector with a product they can display all year round.
The Cocoa and Forests Initiative (CFI), a collaboration between governments and chocolate companies, has announced significant strides toward its mission of eradicating deforestation in Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana.
Cocoa-free chocolate pioneers WNWN Food Labs is collaborating with Fortnum & Mason in a series of sustainability-led activations, masterclasses, talks, and dinners.
Mars incorporated has announced it will cut carbon in half – or by roughly 15 million metric tons – by 2030 across its full value chain and will continue investing in climate action despite a weaker global economy.
Platform for Sustainable Cocoa in Cote d'Ivoire (PICD) and the Ghana Civil-society Cocoa Platform (GCCP) are calling on their respective governments to raise the price of beans for the important 2023-24 season to make sure farmers can receive a living...
International soft commodities exchange has announced it has launched a new Traceability Service to support cocoa suppliers and other commodities, such as coffee and sugar, affected by the EU Deforestation Regulation.
Recognition of its B2B division reaffirms Grupo Nutresa's commitment to globalisation and the purpose of brands such as Cordillera in developing businesses with a sustainable vision.
The cocoa and chocolates industry in Asia Pacific is concerned that the EU Deforestation Regulation could lead a two-tier market for cocoa beans, which could have far-ranging cost and pricing implications.
The project will see Cargill supply cocoa shells to CCm Technologies, who in turn will manufacture fertiliser for two farms supplying Nestlé UK & Ireland.
Ghana has announced a state-guaranteed cocoa price paid to its farmers of 20,943 Ghana cedi ($1,837) per tonne for the new 2023-2024 season – an increase of more than 63% in a bid to boost their income and prevent beans from being smuggled to neighbouring...
In the first major announcement since Peter Feld took over the reins as chief executive officer from Peter Boone in April, the Group said it is to invest CHF 500 million ($563 million) over the next two years in core customer areas and in efficiency measures...
The next big regional flavour trends set to go global have been predicted by new artificial intelligence- (AI-) powered research by Olam Food Ingredients (OFI).
The Olam Group Limited has announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, olam food ingredients (ofi), which includes its cocoa division, has secured a multi-tranche sustainability-linked facility aggregating $1,750 million.
The rebranding includes a stylish new logo and strapline - ‘The Modern Chocolatier’ - and the business has also embraced a brighter, bolder colour palette across the range while maintaining its signature gold foiling detail.
Cocoa traded on ICE Futures in New York hit a 12-year high of $3,640.50 per tonne on Wednesday (30 August), as analysts reacted to a consumer surge in chocolate, as well as the adverse impacts of the El Niño weather phenomenon on West Africa’s cocoa crop.
The Federal Association of the German Confectionery Industry (BDSI) has called for the European Union to reform high external sugar tariffs to keep medium-sized companies competitive – while candy makers in the US grapple with US agricultural policy.
CAOBISCO (the Association of Chocolate, Biscuit and Confectionery Industries of Europe) has appointed Alicia Bellon Moral as its new Sustainability Manager.
Transparency is a defining feature of the craft chocolate industry. However, with the need for benchmarks or regulations for this budding industry, entrepreneurs and stakeholders interpret and apply transparency differently, new research published in...
Representatives from many of the major chocolate companies and cocoa suppliers are due to travel to Amsterdam at the end of October to take part in the Sustainable Commodities and Landscapes Forum.
Cocoa grindings in Europe, North America and Asia fell for the second quarter of 2023, according to latest figures released by the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO), sending cocoa prices soaring on the markets as consumers look for cheaper chocolate.
In the upcoming webinar (airs 13 September), ConfectioneryNews will profile some of the key innovations in the sector that are being driven primarily by consumer trends. As R&D budgets are increased, we have seen ground-breaking innovations in the...
Sustainable chocolate brand MIA, short for made in Africa, says its new Ghana Gold bars have been recognised with two Great Taste Awards, one of the world's largest and most trusted food and drink accreditation schemes.
Tradin Organic, a Netherlands-based certified organic food ingredients supplier for the food sector, claims it can help chocolate manufacturers, brands and retailers navigate the new EU laws on deforestation by sharing access with its clients to all data...
A coalition of campaigners fighting to end environmental and human rights abuses in the cocoa sector has targeted coffee chain Starbucks to come clean on where it sources the ingredients for its chocolate products.
A new initiative to promote innovation in Colombia’s cocoa sector has been launched with grants and awards for projects that promote peace building and forest conversation.
Start-ups are rethinking how conventional products – such as coffee and chocolate – are made in an effort to reduce environmental and human rights violations in global supply chains. Join pioneers in the cocoa-free chocolate and bean-free coffee sector...