The EU is the largest importer of cocoa from the world’s top producing countries and the ECA Statutes describes its original mission, in broad terms, as being “to study, to research and to implement adequate solutions to any matter affecting the industry, the trading and the logistics of the cocoa sector”.
Since its formation in 2000, the association has also steadily grown its knowledge base in other areas highly relevant to the cocoa sector, including:
- Food contaminants – chemicals, heavy metals, and pesticides.
- International Trade – EU trade relations with cocoa producing and consuming countries.
- Environment and sustainability – climate change and deforestation, certification schemes, carbon footprint.
The five new members are:
• Daarnhouwer & Co, which has a long history in international agrocommodities trade. Since 1908, it has been sourcing fine flavour cocoa, tree nuts and specialty coffee from all over the world.
• EWS Group, a European service provider in Stored Product Protection and related services.
• Oxy-Low, a fresh packaging company.
• R Markey & Sons (UK), independent delivery supervisors, weighers, samplers and laboratory analysts.
• UPL, a global leader in sustainable agriculture solutions.
A spokesperson for Daarnhouwer & Co said: “After a period of absence, we are honoured to be once more part of the European Cocoa Association. With more than one hundred years’ experience in fine and flavour cocoa, we consider it our duty to represent this sector within the ECA. We commend and want to actively support the valuable work carried out by the ECA through its working groups and the Joint Cocoa Research Fund.
“An active, integrated and inclusive participation of all actors in the cocoa sector is the key to effect positive and long-term changes. And we believe that the ECA is an organization conducive to this change.”
