Sustainable Cocoa Production is the key to supplying the world’s chocolate lovers

Cocoa sustainability is necessary to maintain or increase market supply

Either because you have a sweet tooth or because you are a cocoa beans trader, there are some significant market trends you should be aware of. The current cocoa purchase model is lead by increasing financial market pressure, and the damaging effects are becoming more and more visible.

If you are a commodities trader and work with cocoa beans this is a good time to buy at low prices even if you compromise the quality, as the market demand is always high and growing.

But if you are one of the hundreds of thousands of cocoa farmers…you have 0 advantages. Your hard work doesn’t cover your family’s needs, you have difficult working conditions, uncertain incomes and finally you lose interest altogether in cocoa farming in order to switch to alternative crops.

As on top of these problems the main producing countries have also old plantations with low productivity rates, experts forecast a significant global cocoa deficit in the coming years. Leaving the supply chain out of the equation is no solution if you want to continue to enjoy your favourite chocolate bar!

In order to solve this growing issue, cocoa sustainability projects are currently underway with Ivorian cocoa production, as the Ivory Coast is the world’s largest producer of cocoa. The Pacts Program was created here to reboot ageing cocoa plantations in ways that will lead to a sustainable cocoa production. New farming practices were implemented using natural grafting techniques for more productive varieties, and this allows an increase in farm yields and improves the quality of the cocoa beans without actually growing the planted areas.

Innovation throughout the supply chain will help lead to sustainable cocoa production

Once the beans are harvested, several steps are required to secure a quality harvest before transforming them into the tasty treats most associated with this sought-after crop. In order to increase cocoa sustainability, different techniques are employed to improve the fermentation and drying processes. These techniques are designed to ensure a more homogeneous final product, improve traceability and anticipate unexpected weather conditions, while still relying on local products for their implementation. With a production deficit of about one million tons forecast for 2020, no aspect of the supply chain will escape a thorough analysis. Final consumers may even have their part play. Lick your chocolate cake platters clean and use the light cycle on your dishwasher!