World’s biggest cocoa producer announces price increase for this season’s main cocoa crop, but Ghana announces no change to price, angering its farmers.
Cocoa & Forests Initiative members have disclosed plans for ending cocoa-driven deforestation, in pledges made at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP23).
Cocoa trader Touton has partnered with Ghanaian government agency Cocobod to curb deforestation in Ghana, where cocoa is the main driver of 3.2% of protected forest loss each year.
Nigeria is the world’s sixth largest cocoa producer, but has scope to significantly boost its output and processing capacity, according to a report by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).
Nestlé Cocoa Plan has come out top in a report by Stop the Traffik and Baptist World Aid Australia assessing the progress made by chocolate companies and certification organizations in tackling child labor in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana.
Startup Vivra Chocolate says it is targeting a gap the US premium chocolate market for fashionable craft chocolate after launching at the Sweets & Snacks Expo.
Cisse Cocoa has brought fair trade, single-origin cocoa beans to its chocolate bark products, as the company believes the 'snackfection' trend is no longer a secret to the consumer
Chocolate manufacturers can drive growth in the premium space with heat resistant chocolate nibbles and clean-label Belgian caramel chocolate without added flavors, claims supplier Barry Callebaut.
The chocolate industry must embrace climate-smart agriculture to mitigate the shattering effects of rising temperatures on millions of cocoa farmers in the developing world, says Rainforest Alliance.
Chocolate makers must pay double the market price for cocoa farmers to receive a living income, says the CEO of Fairtrade as the organization gears up to review pricing.
Financial agri services group Rabobank predicts cocoa futures will remain above $3,000 per metric ton until after Côte D’Ivoire’s October general election.
Chocolate companies should buy fine flavor cocoa directly from growers and pay greater premiums to expand the premium chocolate segment, says artisan firm Duffy’s Chocolate.
Brooklyn start-up Raaka is carving out space in the crowded chocolate category by skipping the traditional step of roasting the cocoa bean to create “virgin chocolate” that highlights the “true flavors” of the beans, according to a company representative.
Hershey has partnered with its supplier Cargill to bring its cocoa sustainability program to the Côte d’Ivoire, helping farmers achieve UTZ certification.
The chocolate industry should embrace certification to improve the livelihoods of farmers or risk losing a generation of cocoa growers, according to the head of a Fairtrade cocoa cooperative in the Ivory Coast.
Godiva owner Yildiz Holding has made one of its first social investments in sustainable cocoa by sponsoring Cémoi, Blommer Chocolate and Delfi’s Processors Alliance for Cocoa Traceability and Sustainability (PACTS) program.
The global cocoa deficit for the 2012/13 crop year was worse than previously expected, according to revised figures from the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO), which has tripled its estimate.
UTZ Certified argues that guaranteeing cocoa farmers a premium distorts the market by discouraging them from adopting good agricultural practices as they are guaranteed a premium regardless of quality. Fairtrade International disagrees.
Spanish cocoa processor Natra has posted a net loss in its 9-month results which it attributed to rising cocoa prices amid speculation of industry consolidation.
UK packaging supplier James Cropper has developed bio-recyclable paper packaging partially made from the husks of cocoa beans supplied by Barry Callebaut.
The Indonesian deputy trade minister has said that after successfully increasing domestic cocoa grinding capacity the country should lower cocoa bean import duties to prevent shortages in the future.
French-based chocolate and ingredients supplier Cémoi has developed a color-coded sensory analysis chart that it claims will enable customers to create personalized tastes.
The chocolate and cocoa industry has pledged $3m in new funds to global cocoa sustainability as major firms including Mondelez, Hershey and Cargill talk about their new initiatives.
Cocoa processing is increasingly moving to origin countries, particularly those in regions where chocolate consumption is rising such as Brazil and Indonesia, according to ADM Cocoa’s head of innovation.
Barry Callebaut’s innovation department has revealed that the level of cocoa flavanols, which are associated with a string of positive health effects, vary depending on where beans are sourced.
