Cocoa farmers welcome Ferrero Fairtrade commitment

Fairtrade cocoa farmers have received another major boost as Ferrero announced its collaboration with Fairtrade at the International Fairtrade Conference in Berlin. The conference was hosted by Fairtrade Germany in March and was attended by over 200 participants, including German and global businesses such as Unilever, Coop and Rewe Group, the German State Secretary of the Ministry of Justice and Consumer Affairs, Gerd Billen, and keynote speaker Dr Auma Obama, founder of the Sauti Kuu Foundation.

Ferrero will purchase a total of 20,000 tonnes of Fairtrade certified cocoa over the next three years. The company will use 100% sustainably certified cocoa for its confectionery production by 2020, according to a Ferrero spokesperson. The Fairtrade Sourcing Program is seen an integral part of achieving this goal and thereby fosters Ferrero's sustainability strategy, the company states. The aim is to apply the new program together with Ferrero and with the farmer organizations on a solid, wider basis in West Africa. By this cooperation Ferrero would like to push and promote the professionalization of cocoa cultivation, strengthen the small-scale structures sustainably and improve the income of farmers and their families. Ferrero sources from Fairtrade certified cooperatives in Côte d’Ivoire.

The Ferrero announcement comes hot on the heels of the January launch of the new Fairtrade Sourcing Programs for cocoa, sugar and cotton. Ten companies have already made commitments under the Fairtrade Cocoa Program representing a 22% increase in Fairtrade cocoa farmers’ sales in 2014 alone with further growth over the next years. More information is available from Fairtrade International