Hershey’s is getting with the program, and its most recent CSR report is a step in the right direction on responsible sourcing and child labor.

Read On »

As a nod to Valentine’s and the associated obsession with chocolate, Rainforest Alliance hosted a webinar on February 13, 2012: “Greening the Cocoa Industry.” Eric Servat, Senior Manager of the Rainforest Alliance cocoa program, described current developments in the cocoa industry and the Alliance’s efforts to expand sustainable cocoa production. The cocoa industry is large, [...]

Read On »

The Hershey Company has been accused of using child labor before. It’s rather ironic for a candy company but after they issued their first ever CSR report last year, it looked like the company was trying to turn over a new leaf. However, a new report shows that Hershey is falling behind in upholding its commitment to protect [...]

Read On »

Palo Alto-based Bon Appetit Management Company will soon introduce fair trade chocolate at over 400 kitchens at universities, corporate, and specialty cafes across the United States. The company that benefits is Cordillera of Medellin, Columbia, which harvests and processes two types of cocoa beans.

Read On »

Several sources recently reported that the British chocolate company, Green & Black’s wants to buy out of Kraft. Cadbury bought Green & Black’s in 2005 for an estimated $37.1 million. Kraft bought Cadbury last year. The Financial Times reported that Green & Black’s is “now considering a separate ownership structure, with a management buy-out, or [...]

Read On »

Consumers now have an opportunity trace the source of the cocoa beans that go into some of their favorite indulgences. The technology firm Helveta has partnered with the cocoa supplier Armajaro to tag sacks of cocoa. Here’s how it works: Armajaro employees scan bar-coded labels at each step of the cocoa supply chain. Helveta’s supply chain software, CI World, will track the sacks of cocoa, which will be secured so that no one can tamper with them. For now the system will run as a pilot in four of Ghana’s districts. The hope is that all data in Armajaro’s central system will allow the trading firm to analyze, reconcile, and share information about the cocoa to boost traceability and transparency throughout a company’s supply chain.

Read On »

Scientists have decoded 92% of the cacao tree’s genome. Funded by MARS with the support of the US Department of Agriculture, IBM, and several universities, the Cacao Genome Database project is three years ahead of schedule. With the sequenced genotype, Matina 1-6, the project promises to solve such problems as pests and diseases that often plague cacao farmers, and in the long run, could improve both the production and sustainability of the cacao industry.

Read On »

The Hershey Company is America.  The world of chocolate has changed since Milton Hershey founded the company, which was at first the subsidiary of a caramel manufacturer, in the 1890s.  More companies are in this crowded and competitive market, and foodies may spurn those iconic flat bricks of cocoa mass, but Hershey is still the [...]

Read On »

Cadbury’s chocolate has been on the 3p radar for quite some time. We watched them struggle in 2008 with the fact that chocolate farms might disappear in 20 years due to unsustainable farming practices, and in 2009 we reported on their first forays into fair trade chocolate. Coffee and chocolate consumption are the thorn in [...]

Read On »

Ironically, the backstories behind the most popular Valentine’s Day gifts—flowers, chocolate and jewelry—are not always warm and cuddly. Roses are often grown in far-flung corners of the world using water- and chemical-intensive methods before they’re shipped thousands of miles to consumers in the US and Europe. Conventional chocolate has unsavory connections to child labor, used [...]

Read On »

Move over Willy Wonka, a different type of chocolate will soon be coming to a store near you. Kraft Foods recently announced it is launching a type of chocolate derived from sustainable cocoa farming.   The premium dark chocolate, Cote d’Or, contains cocoa from farms that meets Rainforest Alliance Certified standards.  Cote d’Or chocolate will first [...]

Read On »