Barry Callebaut, the world’s largest chocolate supplier, has launched the Future Farming Initiative (FFI) to build a high-tech and sustainable cocoa farming business under the leadership of Steven Retzlaff.
The new Fairmade label has announced a collaboration at the Farm Shop & Deli show in Birmingham, England, to highlight a more equal business model for African products.
With the new European Union Deforestation Regulation on the horizon, should the industry adopt a more responsible approach to procurement when sourcing cocoa beans and other ingredients? Sign up for our free webinar to discuss!
An investigation by Initiatives for Community Development and Forest Conservation (IDEF) has revealed that some cocoa beans exported from Cote d'Ivoire to the EU originate from deforested land in neighboring Liberia.
Against a backdrop of cocoa topping $11,000 per metric ton on the futures market for the first time last week, Oxfam says its experts will be highlighting the discrepancies in farmgate price at this week’s World Cocoa Conference (WCC) in Brussels (21-24...
The Rainforest Alliance will outline its plans for greater collaboration in the chocolate industry at the World Cocoa Conference in Brussels next week.
Vanilla is one of the most common flavours for sweet treats around the world. But is the farming of this much-loved spice sustainable? And, if not, should we be consuming it at all?
UK private-label chocolate supplier Hames Chocolates has announced it has invested in new solar panels designed to boost energy efficiency while reducing carbon emissions.
Barry Callebaut, the world’s largest cocoa and chocolate supplier, reported a sales rise of 11% to 4.6 billion CHF ($5.09bn) compared to last year, but one-off expenses caused by its transformation plan amounted to a lower-than-expected half-year profit.
Dutch sustainable chocolate brand Tony’s Chocolonely has announced Waitrose has become a ‘Mission Ally’ and the first UK-owned retailer to join its unique sustainability supply chain.
Dairy-free chocolate maker Moo Free is strengthening its sustainability credentials with the launch of The Hub, a business tool offering the manufacturer complete traceability across its supply chain.
The World Cocoa Foundation (WCF), along with other industry stakeholders, has launched groundbreaking methodology for accurately measuring cocoa household and living incomes.
This Easter, shoppers can do more than choose between milk, dark, or white chocolate eggs; they have the power to make a significant difference to the cocoa farmers, says Fairtrade UK.
Latin American food conglomerate Grupo Nutresa has launched a new sustainability programme to continue strengthening Colombia’s cocoa chain after posting revenues of $18.9 billion in 2023, representing a growth of 11% compared to the previous year.
While Britain is a nation of chocolate lovers, two thirds of consumers believe chocolate eggs comprise too much packaging – yet despite concerns over sustainability and inflation, we’ll still be dipping into our pockets for the sweet stuff.
Nestlé has announced it is launching two new projects to help address the impact of climate change on cocoa and reduce and remove carbon emissions from its supply chains—as part of its commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2050.
The European Union (EU) has signalled its intent to delay the most controversial parts of its anti-deforestation regulation (EUDR) after protests by governments in Asia, Africa, and Latin America described the low, standard, or high-risk benchmarking...
The influential and respected cocoa consultant Dr Kristy Leissle has launched a new marketing company that puts cocoa farmers’ perspectives at the centre of the procurement process so they can share in revenue from the sale of their beans.
Mondelez International-owned Cadbury Australia has revamped the packaging for its Easter series to meet consumer demand for sustainable packaging, and as part of the firm’s long-term efforts to reduce plastic use and wastage.
Cocoa production in Ghana has been falling off the cliff since posting a record 1.047 million metric tonnes (MT) at the close of the 2020-21 season. A multiplicity of factors account for the downward trend in production, including a prolonged El-Niño...
Nestlé International Travel Retail is launching its new sustainable KitKat to connect European travelling consumers with farmers and raise awareness about the cocoa used in the iconic bars.
Arch disruptor brand Tony’s Chocolonely is appealing an injunction against Mondelēz International after the Dutch brand launched four temporary wrappers in Germany, mimicking the design of well-known chocolate bars from Ferrero, Mars, Milka, and Nestlé.
The biennial Cocoa Association of Asia (CAA) International Cocoa Conference is set to return to Singapore on 12 to 13 September 2024, bringing together more than 600 senior business leaders, key stakeholders, decision-makers, and thought leaders from...
Procurement came under the spotlight at Chocoa’s recent Amsterdam Sustainable Cocoa Conference when it convened a panel of specialists to discuss why the practice is not just about buying beans - transactions should go a lot deeper in the value chain...
It was billed in the World Cocoa Foundation agenda as a ‘Fireside Chat.’ Still, the conversation was anything but cozy as the 2024 Partnership Meeting welcomed back Yves Brahima Koné, Cote d’Ivoire’s Coffee & Cocoa Council director general, and Joseph...
Tricia Brannigan, chief procurement officer and VP of Global Procurement at The Hershey Company, was in Amsterdam for WCF’s recent annual Partnership Meeting. She spoke exclusively to Confectionery News on the WCF’s fresh strategy and Hershey’s role in...
Along with the World Cocoa Foundation Partnership Meeting, Chocoa’s Cocoa Sustainability Conference, Amsterdam Cocoa Week was also the setting for the Cacao of Excellence awards, which recognize excellence in cacao cultivation while supporting and encouraging...
Picking up the baton from the World Cocoa Foundation Meeting, the Amsterdam Sustainable Cocoa Conference, organised by Chocoa, moved into the Beurs van Berlage for a further two days of discussion and debate on key policy issues affecting the global chocolate...
The World Cocoa Foundation Partnership Meeting ended as it began, with an address from President Chris Vincent. Two days ago, in his opening remarks, he struck an upbeat chord, pleased with the internal changes in the organisation and a strategy refresh...
Premium Dutch ethical brand Tony’s Chocolonely has reported record revenue growth of €150m ($162m) while successfully scaling up its sustainable impact model with six new partners joining its collaborative industry initiative.
Apart from farmer income/poverty, the most discussed topic on day one of the World Cocoa Foundation Partnership Meeting in Amsterdam was the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) that will be implemented at the end of this year.
In his opening remarks at this year’s World Cocoa Foundation Partnership Meeting in Amsterdam, Chris Vincent, president of the WCF, said this year's conference theme, ‘aligning for global action,’ underscores the critical interconnectedness between...
With its link between Europe, North America, and the rest of Latin America, the tiny country on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola is set to be a significant player for premium cocoa as demand soars due to a global shortage of beans.
Ahead of The World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) Partnership Meeting in Amsterdam this week, the organisation has announced that Mawuli Coffie will be its country director for the WCF Ghana Office as part of a new senior leadership team spearheading an ambitious...
Leading commodities supplier ofi has announced Roel van Poppel as its chief sustainability officer (CSO), taking responsibility for scaling the group’s ability to drive positive impact across its five leading product platforms - cocoa, coffee, dairy,...
It’s almost 10 months since we last spoke with Chris Vincent, the president of the World Cocoa Foundation (WCF). As he prepares for the upcoming Partnership Meeting in Amsterdam (6-7 February), he gives an exclusive and wide-ranging interview to ConfectioneryNews...
A new report from Fairtrade International has highlighted that cocoa farmers who were paid a ‘living income reference price’ earned, on average, 15% more compared to government-regulated farmgate prices in origin countries.
Greenwashing around sustainability hurts the growth of important initiatives for the environment, society and animal welfare, but when companies make honest, transparent and science-backed claims about their sustainability, consumer trust is not only...
Amsterdam Cocoa Week promises an ‘epic collaboration’ when it opens on Monday 5 February at the Beurs van Berlage, the city’s former stock exchange building, where joining forces under one roof will be high-level sustainability conferences Chocoa, the...
KitKat, one of Nestlé’s most popular and innovative confectionery brands, will now become its most sustainable after the company announced the snack bar will be made with 100% chocolate sourced from the Income Accelerator Programme (IAP)
A new industry group known as Fairmade is working to raise awareness in the cocoa sector of the benefits of producing chocolate at the origin of ingredients in developing countries.
At the end of 2023, Colombian sustainable brand Chocolate Cordillera announced that 106 female cocoa farmers from Urabá Antioquia had completed the first module of its ATENEA sustainability program, giving some the confidence to become fully independent...
The Rainforest Alliance certification platform has called for more support for smallholder cocoa farmers to ensure they are not unintentionally excluded from the EU market under the new deforestation regulations.
Achieving sustainable growth in the cocoa sector will be at the forefront of those taking part or visiting Amsterdam Cocoa Week in February where two important conferences are back-to-back and under one roof.
Apart from the positive impact on the planet - potentially preventing millions of tonnes of fruit waste – cacao fruit opens up new categories after the pulp, juice, and powder from the cocoa pod are used, according to latest research.
The World Cocoa Foundation’s Partnership Meeting promises two days of busy high-level discussions when leading industry figures gather in Amsterdam from 6 to 7 February. ConfectioneryNews is the official media partner and shall be reporting live from...
The Surucuá community in Brazil's state of Pará is the first to receive an Amazonian Creative Laboratory, a compact mobile biofactory designed to help kick-start the Amazon’s bioeconomy to process, package and sell bean-to-bar chocolate and similar...
