You may have read our article on The Darker Side of Cacao
It is so important to support and send love to the communities who bring us this gift of Cocao and ensure that there is no Child Labour or Slaves are Used!
Between a quarter and a third of all cocoa is grown under a certification label, such as various fair trade certifications and the Rainforest Alliance/UTZ Certification who’s charities are shown below; however, no single label can guarantee that the chocolate was made without the use of exploitive labor. The third-party inspectors for these certifications are usually only required to visit fewer than 10% of cocoa farms so please also double check before purchasing.
ALways be sure to check the ethics behind your supply chain. The Food Empowerment Project’s (F.E.P.’s) has a FOOD LIST to check these companies. Demand transparency from companies that have refused to disclose where they source their cocoa from, and call on companies to pay a living income to cocoa farmers. Even if a company is recommended on our chocolate list, contact them to let them know that is why you are buying their product.
Here are some of the main Charities you can support.
Cocoa Life is built on partnerships with governments, nongovernment organisations, supply chain partners, cocoa farming organisations, and farming communities.
Cocoa Life helps communities thrive in six key cocoa-growing origins―Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Indonesia, India, the Dominican Republic and Brazil. We are helping them gain knowledge and skills to improve their livelihoods, strengthen their communities and inspire the next generation of cocoa farmers.
The World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) is a non-profit international membership organization whose vision is a thriving and sustainable cocoa sector, where farmers prosper, communities are empowered, and the planet is healthy.
https://www.worldcocoafoundation.org/
Fairtrade is a multinational charity, but has specific programs for Cocoa Farmers.
https://www.fairtrade.net/product/cocoa
WE Charity is an international charity and educational partner. Their organisation is unique in that it operates collaborative programmes, both domestically and internationally. They support farmers in the Equador rainforest and have helped them rescue failing crops.
The Cocoa Horizons Foundation helps to create self-driven and self-sustaining cocoa communities. The program is currently present in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Cameroon, Nigeria, Indonesia, Brazil and Ecuador.
