FAIR CHOCOLATE
Chocolate only tastes really good when you know that your choco cravings contribute less to global warming. That is why we fight for chocolate the earth does not melt from. We make the tastiest plant-based chocolate there is and work with cacao farmers to fight deforestation.
OUR CACAO
Our cacao comes from West Africa. Although cacao is an important source of income for farmers in this region, it often comes with problems such as poverty, deforestation and child labour.
We buy our cacao through a traceable and sustainable network. This means we can follow the origin of the cacao beans precisely, all the way to the farmers in our network. That way we know where the cacao comes from and what happens in our production chain.
FIGHTING DEFORESTATION
Farmers in West Africa often have too few resources and too little knowledge to maintain their land properly. As a result the soil becomes exhausted, which leads to lower yields. To maintain their income they expand their farmland, sometimes at the expense of the rainforest. This has negative consequences for nature and the climate.
To fight deforestation we use GPS technology to map the boundaries of cacao plantations accurately. If changes occur outside these boundaries we can intervene quickly and take corrective measures where necessary.
In addition, Rainforest Alliance asks farmers to plant more indigenous trees and encourages agroforestry, where shade trees are planted between the cacao plants. This protects nature and increases biodiversity.
MORE SUSTAINABLE FARMING
Drought, pests and diseases can substantially reduce the cacao harvest, and a bad year can be very hard for cacao farmers who already earn little.
Rainforest Alliance teaches farmers how to tackle these threats with natural control methods. This saves on expensive and harmful chemicals and improves the soil, which leads to better harvests and higher incomes.
Farmers are also taught to spread their income by growing other crops, keeping animals or producing honey. This gives them more security if a harvest disappoints.
EMPOWERING FARMERS
Farmers receive training to improve the productivity and health of their plantations, so that future generations can continue to make a living from growing cacao. They learn, for example, the importance of pruning for the health of cacao trees, which improves yield and quality.
On top of that, farmers receive an additional premium above the market price for cacao. They can choose for themselves how to spend this premium: on investments in their farm, their family or other expenses.
FIGHTING CHILD LABOUR
Child labour is unfortunately still a major problem in the cacao sector in West Africa. On Rainforest Alliance certified farms child labour is strictly forbidden. But more is done than simply forbidding it: they work together with farmers to actively prevent and address child labour.
Farms set up internal committees to check whether children go to school and are not working in the fields. If a case of child labour is discovered after all, measures are taken immediately to resolve it and prevent it from happening again.
