European cocoa grindings in the first quarter of 2010 rose 8.1 per cent on the year, the biggest first-quarter gain in four years, according to data from the European Cocoa Association (ECA) but an industry insider claims a double-digit hike would have...
A new cocoa buying station in Vietnam will support an ongoing programme of cocoa farming expertise transfer and shows the high expectations Cargill has for cocoa development in the country, said the industry chocolate supplier.
A UK research project aims to ensure the sustainability of future cocoa production through suggesting ways cocoa breeders can produce varieties more adapted to climate change.
Representatives of the EU confectionery sector, Caobisco, has said claims made in a Danish documentary about child labour are a misrepresentation of the facts about cocoa farming in the Ivory Coast.
As Cargill expands its cocoa farmer training programme in the Ivory Coast this month, we caught up with managing director of Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate, Harold Poelma, to hear about developments in the sourcing of sustainably derived cocoa and his...
Cocoa bean crop quality and yield is benefiting from a farmer training programme in the Ivory Coast, which is set to be extended to a wider number of farmer cooperatives this month, said Cargill.
A Cargill cocoa butter and powder plant in Ghana has obtained recognition by an international food audit group AIB International, which the ingredients giant claims is a validation that the facility is operating to the highest standards.
Retention of Ghana produced cocoa on the US Department of Labor’s list of goods produced by child or forced labour could hinder efforts to eliminate the practice, claims a senior politician of the major cocoa supplying country.
Chocolate maker Barry Callebaut’s decision to join the UTZ Certified sustainable cocoa programme will bolster efforts to scale up the project and help to get all parts of the supply chain on board, claims the non-profit group.
Growth in sugar confectionery weakened but the chocolate sector continued to perform well for Nestlé, according to the global food giant’s third quarter results.
Cadbury said it may have to further raise its prices for 2010 as the cost of cocoa has remained stubbornly high, economic conditions are turbulent and markets competitive.
The Ivory Coast is taking steps to protect its cocoa industry with a plan to improve the quality of its crop which is said to have fallen in standards over the last decade, according to reports.
London cocoa prices hit a 23-year high at the end of December, but emerging questions about consumer demand could see prices fall in 2009, according to the International Cocoa Organisation (ICCO).
Troubles for West African cocoa supplies look set to continue following reports that the harmattan, a harsh, crop-damaging wind, has begun to sweep in from the Sahara.
Cocoa prices have proved resilient in the economic downturn, even as other commodity prices have slumped, and confectionery manufacturers are concerned that tight supply will keep prices high for some time yet.
Costs for cocoa have fallen from a peak of $3000 per tonne in July, to $2551.33 on Monday, but reports of the damaging black pod disease in Ivory Coast could drive prices upwards, compounded by political uncertainty that may see chocolate buyers eager...
Cocobod, the cocoa regulator for Ghana, has raised the fixed price it pays to farmers, a move that may not directly impact cocoa processors and buyers but could ultimately result in upward pressure on prices.
Global confectioners Mars and Nestle have joined a sustainable
cocoa programme, which aims to establish a traceability system for
all farmers in the Ivory Coast.
Cadbury today launched a fund to aid its cocoa suppliers
in Ghana, after research suggested that average production in
the region is now 40 per cent lower than the potential yield.
The Vietnamese government estimates its overall cocoa crop will
reach 45,000 tonnes by 2015, aiming to make the catch the attention
of chocolate manufacturers around the world, according to Reuters.
A UK-based pressure group campaign against companies
that buy cocoa from the Ivory Coast has accused
the industry of funding conflict and civil unrest.
Supplier Buhler has boosted machinery supplies to facilities in
Ghana, enabling operations in the country to not only harvest the
beans but process them into cocoa butter and powder.
The International Cocoa Organisation (ICCO) has revised its gloomy
cocoa estimate of a 5,000 tonne deficit to predict a global surplus
of 80,000 tonnes of cocoa in the coming year, assuring
manufacturers of a steady supply.
Cote d'Ivoire cocoa growers have downed tools over pay
disagreements, beginning a strike which could dramatically cut
supplies to chocolate manufacturers.
The Malaysian cocoa board expects 2005 to set a new record for
cocoa exports, exceeding RM 2 billion ($530 million), thanks to
increased global consumption and access to new markets.
Leading merchant of cocoa, sugar and coffee ED&F Man has
launched Corigins, a US-based supplier offering traceable, quality
sugar and cocoa ingredients, Philippa Nuttall reports.
Ladco Advanced Engineering, the parent company of Scotland-based
MacIntyre Chocolate Systems, has acquired Petzholdt-Heidenauer
International, in a bid to extend both companies' global reach in
the competitive chocolate processing...
Prices remain steady for cocoa, despite news that the start of the
new cocoa harvesting season from the world's biggest producer,
Ivory Coast, has been delayed due to a dispute.
US agri-giant Cargill has carved a deeper position in the European
chocolate market after Swiss firm Nestlé sold two cocoa processing
activities to the acquisitive private company.
The Nordic region's leading confectionery maker, Cloetta Fazer, has
said that it expects the price of cocoa beans, a key raw material
for many of its products, to remain stable for the rest of this
year.
The Ghana Cocoa Board (GCB) has secured a US$650 million loan to
purchase cocoa for the 2003/2004 cocoa season. The
facility,repayable within a year, was arranged by four leading
banks.
