‘To stand out from the crowd in the functional confectionery category, it’s all about creating exciting products that are healthy, nutritious, delicious and natural’, says Madeline Bills, Cocoa Ingredient Development & Innovation Manager, ofi.
The Swiss-Ghanaian start-up, best known for its upcycling of cocoa side streams, has partnered with seedtrace and MTN Group to ‘disrupt transparency standards’ in cocoa.
The Cocoa Coalition has broadly welcomed the European Commission's proposed Directive on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence, saying 'we regard it as a genuinely ground-breaking legislative proposal'.
In its Annual Report for 2021, Nestlé said it has the ability to deliver and scale meaningful innovations that meet changing consumer tastes, respond to the growing interest worldwide in nutritional health solutions and contribute to sustainability.
CARE, a leading humanitarian organisation fighting global poverty with a focus on working alongside women and girls, has announced a new initiative to help transform cocoa growing communities in Côte d’Ivoire.
In a row over the impending European Commission’s deforestation law, African smallholder cocoa farmers say European organisations do not speak on their behalf and claim their proposal risks damaging their livelihoods.
The Federal Association of the German Confectionery Industry (BDSI) said it welcomes the latest developments from the EU Commission and its proposals for a European supply chain law.
Brazil’s cocoa beans production continues its upward curve with the latest figures released this month showing grindings have already increased up to 5% in 2022.
A cash transfer programme implemented by the International Cocoa Initiative (ICI), in partnership with ECOM, has reduced child labour in cocoa-growing households and helped them to cope during difficult times, according to recent research.
Malaysian cocoa supplier Guan Chong Berhad (GCB) has announced plans to open a new world-class manufacturing site in the UK through its subsidiary GCB Cocoa UK.
Cocoa production in key West African countries dropped significantly at the end of 2021, according to the latest figures from the International Cocoa Organisation (ICCO).
Record surge for chocolate by American consumers has pushed sales to $29bn, with retail chocolate sales climbing more than 5% a quarter, according to data from Chicago-based researcher IRI.
Ghana’s cocoa carriers have announced they have called off their strike after meeting with the licensed buying companies and officials from COCOBOD, the government-controlled body that fixes the buying price for the country’s cocoa exports.
Olam Food Ingredients (ofi) has revealed five top trends for the confectionery sector this year, with planetary health a key focus, along with amplified taste experiences and premiumization all set to dominate.
The ‘Cocoa Coalition' of companies, NGOs, certification organisations and multistakeholder organisations has welcomed the European Commission’s (EC) publication of its proposed regulation on deforestation.
In the fifth article in her occasional 'I am a cocoa farmer series', cocoa scholar Kristy Leissle talks to Bismark Botwe, about the struggle to make a decent living income from farming cocoa – and why he is now saving the ‘sweatings’ from the...
Established in Seattle by Val and Breezy Griffith in the wake of losing a young friend, SkinnyDipped says it is committed 'to creating insanely delicious sweet snacks with way less sugar and no dirty secrets' – and helping other women in the...
Barry Callebaut’s mission to make ‘sustainable chocolate the norm by 2025’ remains on track at the half-way point of the Group’s journey with the release of its fifth Forever Chocolate Progress Report.
Latest data from the ICCO reveals that Europe's third-quarter cocoa grind rose 8.7% from a year earlier but only 3.5% from Q3 2019, as North America and Asia also report increases.
News that China's small batch of cocoa beans has been recognised by the Bioversity International’s 2021 Cocoa of Excellence competition is seen as another indicator of the rise of Asia’s cocoa sector.
Both the forthcoming proposals for legislation – on corporate due diligence and on deforestation – can provide the basis for the transformation of the sector, benefiting producer countries and cocoa farmers, it said.
Philippines cocoa and chocolate firm Cacao Culture is riding the rising consumer demand for healthier products to draw younger consumers to the traditional local drink tablea, also dubbed the ‘healthiest form of hot chocolate available’.
A sharp and sudden drop in cocoa farmgate prices by 18.5% in Cote d’Ivoire has led to ethical Netherlands’ brand Tony’s Chocolonely launching an urgent appeal to all chocolate companies to match the price Tony’s pays its cocoa farmers.
Swiss agrifood testing company SwissDeCode is working with confectionery giant Mars Wrigley to find an early detection solution that can identify Cocoa Swollen Shoot Disease (CSSD), a virus that can devastate cocoa crops.
The potentially devastating black pod disease could affect cocoa crops in West Africa this year, due to above-average rainfalls and warm and humid conditions in September.
The second African Cocoa & Chocolate Expo (ACCE) 2021 opens online from today for three days of discussions, debates, exhibitions and networking opportunities.
Kocoatrait, India's first zero waste, inclusive and sustainable bean to bar chocolate company, has announced a new initiative to help farmers with their cocoa post-harvesting tasks.
The International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) has revised its forecasts for the 2020-21 cocoa year, along with estimates of world production, grindings and stocks of cocoa beans for the 2019-20 cocoa year.
Increased understanding of cocoa farmers is required if the chocolate industry is to meet its forest restoration and net carbon zero targets, says Earthworm Foundation’s Gerome Tokpa
The European Commission (EC) has reiterated its commitment to ending all forms of child labour by 2025 and will use trade incentives, such as General Scheme of Preferences, to cooperate with partners to combat the problem.
Its latest report highlights the new 2020 Rainforest Alliance certification programme (which has replaced former Rainforest Alliance and UTZ programmes since July 2021), the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and how it has worked to transform the cocoa...
The Commonwealth of Dominica is setting an agenda to position itself as one the best cocoa producers on the international market by developing better agricultural practices and infrastructure.
Earlier this year, The International Cocoa Initiative (ICI) launched a new study to analyse data from various stakeholders’ Child Labour Monitoring and Remediation Systems (CLMRS), with the aim of guiding improvements in their effectiveness at identifying,...
A new initiative in Cote d’Ivoire is empowering women to become the producers and marketers of their own cocoa products, shifting value-addition processes to origin countries.
The Swiss Platform for Sustainable Cocoa (SWISSCO) has reported good progress in promoting sustainability in the Swiss cocoa value chain as it deepens its engagement in projects and international cooperation.
During a special session held earlier this month, the International Cocoa Council (ICC) said it has extended the duration of the seventh International Cocoa Agreement by two years to 30 September 2024.
I am a cocoa farmer: Ama Ampomaa, Central Region, Ghana
In the fourth article in her occasional 'I am a cocoa farmer series', cocoa scholar Kristy Leissle talks to Ama Ampomaa, whose family has owned a cocoa farm for more than a century and today she and her siblings control around one hundred plots...
Family-owned Colombian chocolate company Luker Chocolate has received two prestigious awards for its crafted at origin chocolate, beating strong competition from other main cocoa-growing regions.
According to research by Barry Callebaut in the US, UK, Japan, France, and Germany, 75% of consumers think that single origin chocolate is more premium and more sustainable compared to standard chocolate.
BDSI, the German confectionery industry association, has reported its cocoa grindings rose 18% to 93,064 tonnes representing ‘a positive trend reversal’ in the country in the second quarter of 2021.
People are paying more attention than ever to the conditions behind the products they buy as a way to make a difference in the world, according to new research findings released by GlobeScan and Fairtrade International.
A powerful cocoa coalition partnership has called on the European Commission to pursue the establishment of bilateral agreements between the European Union and cocoa-producing countries to contribute to establishing a fully sustainable cocoa supply chain.
