CHOCOLETHICS

by The Chocolate Dictionary

Chocolethics are the ethical principles applied to the production and distribution of chocolate. It starts with a fair price being paid to the cocoa farmers, and continues with favourable investment and sustainability policies to ensure their operations can grow; there is a role for women in the business; the farmer’s children can be properly educated; and the environment can be protected for the future. Chocolethics often involves buyers working closely with cocoa farmers to ensure the best quality of beans are produced, and guaranteeing the purchase of agreed quantities of stock.

People engaged in chocolethics tend to be passionate about chocolate and are keen to redress the decades-old imbalance whereby cocoa farmers were, and in many cases still are, paid a pittance for their crops whilst the really big profits are being made by the large manufacturers and retailers. A key principle of chocolethics is that everyone in the supply chain deserves to get a fair price.

Companies such as The Divine Chocolate Company are commendable for being 25% owned by the farmers who supply them. Hotel Chocolat, founded in 2003, work with farmers in the Caribbean, South America, and West Africa, in a way that adheres to the principles of their Engaged Ethics programme, and their Cacao Sustainability Charter, which cover relationships with the growers, the setting of fair profits, the development of communities, and protecting biodiversity. Hotel Chocolat’s success – they are now a £100 million company – proves that good chocolate does not have to come at the expense of fair business practices.

Shocked to discover that child and slave labour were still being used in the West African supply chain, Dutch journalist Teun van de Keukenin founded Tony’s Chocolonely in 2005. The beans used to make Tony’s chocolate are all traceable and purchased directly from their partner cooperatives in Ghana and the Ivory Coast. A higher price than the market value is paid for the beans to ensure the farms are both economically viable and further investment can be made for growth.

Willie Harcourt-Cooze negotiating directly with one of his cocoa growers. (image from Willie’s Cacao website)

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One of the most successful bean-to-bar ethical producers of recent years is Willie’s Cacao. Founded by Willie Harcourt-Cooze in 2002, the company buys its beans directly from the farms, or estates, where the cacao is grown, then ships them to their own production facilities in the UK where every stage of the chocolate-making process is carried out under careful, dedicated supervision, before the finished product is sold to retail outlets. The price per bar may be a lot higher than the chocolate from mass-produced, highly sweetened brands, but companies like Willie’s Cacao represent the future: the quality of their chocolate is far better, for a start, and the raw materials are bought at a price that ensures the farms are economically viable.