During a special session held earlier this month, the International Cocoa Council (ICC) said it has extended the duration of the seventh International Cocoa Agreement by two years to 30 September 2024.
I am a cocoa farmer: Ama Ampomaa, Central Region, Ghana
In the fourth article in her occasional 'I am a cocoa farmer series', cocoa scholar Kristy Leissle talks to Ama Ampomaa, whose family has owned a cocoa farm for more than a century and today she and her siblings control around one hundred plots...
The Barry Callebaut Group said its sales volume of premium chocolate and cocoa products grew +3.4% to 1,622,479 tonnes during the first nine months of the fiscal year ending May 31, 2021.
Described by the company as 'a milestone in chocolate-making’, the AMATIKA 46% is the latest in the Valrhona collection - described as a 'sweet and creamy like a milk chocolate couverture, yet powerful like a single origin chocolate' -...
Kokak Chocolates, a female-owned artisanal chocolate company based in San Francisco, was founded to offer small-batch single origin heirloom chocolates and premium truffle flavours crafted in colourful, tropical-inspired designs with a story to tell....
Since the outbreak of the pandemic, there is a growing demand for consumers to know where the ingredients in the products they purchase come from, says Philippe Bernay, Commercial Marketing Lead EMEA, Cargill Cocoa.
According to research by Barry Callebaut in the US, UK, Japan, France, and Germany, 75% of consumers think that single origin chocolate is more premium and more sustainable compared to standard chocolate.
BDSI, the German confectionery industry association, has reported its cocoa grindings rose 18% to 93,064 tonnes representing ‘a positive trend reversal’ in the country in the second quarter of 2021.
Oregon-based Honey Mama's and its truffle-like chilled cocoa bars made from five organic whole food ingredients is entering Whole Foods stores nationwide, where the brand is aiming to bridge the gap between the chocolate and wellness bar categories....
Ingredient supplier Tate & Lyle has launched a stevia sustainability programme in collaboration with environmental experts Earthwatch Europe. The company says the move will help the fast-growing stevia agri sector leverage sustainable practices as...
Pacha de Cacao is a 100% natural and nutritious cacao juice made from the fresh pulp of the cacao fruit. Marika van Santvoort founded the company in 2020 and she explains how she was introduced to this most nutritious by-product - and how, as an entrepreneur,...
People are paying more attention than ever to the conditions behind the products they buy as a way to make a difference in the world, according to new research findings released by GlobeScan and Fairtrade International.
New study released in time for World Chocolate Day shows farmers in the most impoverished circumstances benefit from growing cocoa rather than their non-certified counterparts.
A powerful cocoa coalition partnership has called on the European Commission to pursue the establishment of bilateral agreements between the European Union and cocoa-producing countries to contribute to establishing a fully sustainable cocoa supply chain.
Neighbouring West African states account for over 60% of global cocoa supplies, but have threatened to name and shame chocolate brands trying to avoid paying the LID, a $400-per-tonne premium, which goes to their farmers.
Barry Callebaut brand Cabosse Naturals is launching a line of ‘next gen’ ingredients for snacks, drinks and ice cream that utilise the whole cacao fruit, while Cacao Barry, also part of Barry Callebaut, is rolling out a WholeFruit chocolate offering....
The German Confectionery Industry (BDSI) has said it welcomes the German Bundestag national supply chain due diligence law and that it has been made clear that there are no additional liability risks for companies beyond the existing ones.
Russell Stover Chocolates, owned by Lindt & Sprüngli, joins the no-sugar trend with the launch of Joy Bites chocolate bars crafted with Fairtrade cocoa and sweetened with stevia extract.
Prolonged drought in southern Madagascar has prompted ethical chocolate company MIA, which sources its premium cocoa beans from the island, to commit an additional £500 of its 1 for Change impact fund to help with famine relief.
In our latest podcast interview, we talked to Freek van der Knaap, Van Houten’s Vice-President Vending & Beverages EMEA, about the launch of ruby as a chocolate drink powder, which is aimed at professionals working in the catering and confectionery...
A coalition of global civil societies has renewed its calls for the elimination of child labour in the cocoa industry - in both consuming and producing nations.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) expects type 2 diabetes to increase by 55% in the next 20 years - so it is crucial that confectionery companies are aware of its sugar consumption guidelines.
A new report from Spoonshot, ‘Sugar Reduction: A Bittersweet Pill’ includes must-haves for food and beverage manufacturers responding to growing consumer demand for reduced sugar and sugar replacements.
Cocoa powder can serve as an effective and cheaper material for encapsulating Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus acidophilus, researchers have found.
Initially launched in Europe at the beginning of the year, Tony's Chocolonely’s Sweet Solution bars - which were originally ‘look-a-like’ limited-edition versions of notable chocolate bars made with Tony’s 5 Sourcing Principles for fairer chocolate...
Barry Callebaut’s cocoa pioneer brand Van Houten has announced a ruby chocolate option aimed specifically at the hospitality sector, specifically baristas and coffee bars.
The new ‘Cadbury Farmer Resilience Fund’ designed to protect cocoa farmer livelihoods during the COVID-19 pandemic is providing grants that will empower thousands of women farmers to start small businesses and earn a decent living.
Having initially voted in favour of banning descriptive terms such as ‘buttery’ and ‘creamy’ for dairy-free products, the European Parliament has dropped Amendment 171.
Announced earlier in the year, The Dubai Multi Commodities Centre's (DMCC) Cacao Centre is set to launch in summer with plans to make the Emirati city a global hub for trade in cocoa beans.
Cocoa prices continue to struggle, despite an increase in grindings reported in North America and Southeast Asia and is still ‘the worst performing commodity of the year,’ according to some analysts.
Luxury chocolate maker has announced it has reached “an important milestone,” after claiming that 100% of its cocoa beans are traceable after being externally verified by non-profit organisation, Earthworm Foundation.
Nestlé has announced it has joined other business leaders across the food industry to support ambitious action by the European Union (EU) to increase supply chain transparency and traceability for commodities that may be linked to deforestation.
Gowland previously served as Executive Vice President for Latin America and Global Innovation at The Nature Conservancy. Before that, he spearheaded sustainability initiatives in the private sector, including stints at Unilever and Nike.
While the pandemic has raised interest in healthier eating to support overall health, this has also been mirrored by a growth in interest in comfort indulgence to ward of anxiety and stress. We look at current trends in our next webinar, on 1 June, and...
Colombian B4B chocolate manufacturer Luker Chocolate has received a Transformadores Award from RedEAmérica for its work supporting cocoa farmers and their communities via The Cacao Effect alliance.
The use of Child Labour Monitoring and Remediation Systems (CLMRS) to tackle child labour is expanding in the cocoa sector, and a new study by the International Cocoa Initiative (ICI) provides a common operational definition of a CLMRS and sets out key...
Cargill has acquired Leman Decoration Group in a deal that the company said represents a win-win: It will enhance Leman’s chocolate expertise and expand Cargill’s overing in the decorations space.
Barry Parkin, the company's Chief Procurement and Sustainability Officer, is set to meet with members of the cocoa industry and the governments of Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire this week to discuss the Living Income Differential (LID) and to underscore...
Barry Callebaut says it is committed to ending deforestation in the cocoa and chocolate industry as part of its actions in the months and years ahead, which are highlighted in its the Cocoa & Forests Initiative (CFI) Progress Report 2020.
Over the past three decades, the rate of deforestation around the world has noticeably declined. This comes against an ever-increasing societal pressure from consumers and governments for more sustainable food products, which applies to everything from...
In its latest Cocoa & Forests Initiative (CFI) Annual Report, Mondelēz International said it has distributed 712,771 trees across Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire in the from October 2019 to September 2020, with a total of 975,848 trees planted as part of...