BEATRICE MOULIANITAKI, Head of Cocoa Sustainability
Blog
Nearly 70 percent of the world’s cocoa comes from West Africa, and cocoa is a critical and often sole source of cash for millions of smallholder farming families. Unfortunately, these communities face environmental and economic difficulties that present various challenges for West African cocoa farmers. Many typically have low incomes, often at or below the accepted poverty line. Basic infrastructure is minimal or non-existent and land-rights are often poorly defined.
Cargill’s cocoa sustainability program aims to deliver sector-wide transformation in the world’s second biggest cocoa producing region. It’s a strategy aligned to the government of Ghana’s plans to reinvigorate the economy.
Blog
Three commodities are pivotal to the economic prosperity of Ghana: gold, the agricultural sector where cocoa is the most significant contributor, and more recently, oil. Historically, they have contributed towards making the country one of the most dynamic economies in Africa.
Hershey confirms achieving 50% certified and sustainable cocoa sourcing goal in 2015 and sets new goal of 75% for 2017
Press Release
HERSHEY, Pa., Feb. 26, 2016 /3BL Media/ — Access to basic health care is critical for the wellbeing of rural West African cocoa communities. To help meet the need, The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) partnered with cocoa suppliers Blommer Chocolate and Olam Cocoa to fund and build a community health center in Cote d’Ivoire in the town of Teapleau on the Western side of the country. Cote d’Ivoire is one of the largest cocoa-producing countries in the world.
Company announces accelerated 50 percent target for certified and sustainable cocoa by end of 2015
Press Release
HERSHEY, Pa., January 7, 2015 /3BL Media/ - TheHershey Company (NYSE: HSY) today announced that 30 percent of its globally sourced cocoa was independently certified and verified. This reflects an accelerated pace for achieving its goal of sourcing 100 percent of its cocoa supply from certified and sustainable cocoa farms by 2020.
Strategy creates unprecedented alignment among the cocoa and chocolate companies to coordinate cocoa sustainability efforts. Program goals complement existing Hershey cocoa sustainability programs.
Press Release
HERSHEY, Pa., May 21, 2014 /3BL Media/ - The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) announced today that it will be a founding member of CocoaAction, a new strategy to align the cocoa sustainability efforts of the world’s largest cocoa and chocolate companies. CocoaAction creates a new level of coordination and commitment by the leading global cocoa and chocolate companies and governments to promote cocoa sustainability in West Africa.
Approximately 73% of the world’s four million tons of cocoa is produced by more than two million cocoa farmers in West Africa.
Many of my chocolate and cocoa company members have been providing assistance to these farmers since the early to mid-1900s, none more than The Hershey Company which began to purchase cocoa from West Africa in 1930 and in 1948 was a founding member of an organization I formerly headed, the American Cocoa Research Institute.
