As a nation, we’re all striving to ‘do our bit’ to make the world a better place. We’re taking personal action to live sustainably and making ethical choices by opting to buy products which make a positive difference.
Demand for products which meet these criteria is on the rise, and, as a consequence, food companies are developing and expanding their ranges. Some are choosing to commit to standards set by bodies such as the Fairtrade Foundation, whilst others are creating their own programmes, such as Belgian chocolate brand Belcolade. It has pioneered Cacao-Trace, a sustainable cocoa sourcing programme that is redefining the standard for chocolate.
Cacao-Trace was launched in 2013 after the company decided to develop its own approach for better control of the cocoa chain.
The programme – which is validated by independent, third-party certification – focuses on taste improvement rather than productivity, and adds to the typical industry standards of training cocoa farmers and fair pricing.
Cacao-Trace aims to tackle six key challenges in the cocoa supply chain:
- Farmer poverty
- 95% small families with weak voices and poor working conditions
- Farmers earn only 6% of value
- Deforestation
- Child labour
- Gender inequality
SUPERIOR QUALITY, BETTER TASTE
Central to the Cacao-Trace programme is proper fermentation – the key to great tasting chocolate.
Belcolade’s team of experts work closely with cocoa farmers to help them to produce cocoa beans of superior quality. This is key to creating chocolate that tastes great and, in turn, generates more income for the farmers via a Quality Premium.
In addition, for every kilo of Cacao-Trace chocolate sold, Puratos charges customers 10 cents, in Euro currency. The company then collects this money and sends it back to cocoa farmers. 100% of the proceeds from the ‘Chocolate Bonus’ are forwarded directly to the farmers and into community funding projects.
GREAT TASTE, DOING GOOD
In 2023, the total amount of Chocolate Bonus collected accounted for 2.4million Euros.
The initiative impacted 23,247 farmers and their families across eight countries (Mexico, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Vietnam, Philippines and Papua New Guinea).
199,302 trees were planted
1.5million Euros was distributed from the Quality Premium
12 school projects were achieved, including the construction of three complete primary schools, eight extensions, renovations, one library and three teacher’s houses
46 water projects completed
MAKE A DIFFERENCE
The Cacao-Trace range is available to customers of The Wholesale Group via specialist ingredients distributor Henley Bridge.
The range includes white, milk, dark, caramel, vegan and no added sugar products in varying cocoa percentages, and in button and/or block format.
Henley Bridge MD Tracey Hughes visited the Ivory Coast with Puratos in October to meet the cacao-growing farmers and their communities.
She said: “The positive changes were evident throughout the plantations that we visited, from the standards of the farming landscape to the education that the programme is providing to the farming community, with more villages having access to schools, nearby water towers and maternity centres.”
In 2023, sales of Cacao-Trace products via Henley Bridge contributed 500 school packs for children, and the company aims to continuously build on that.