Brazilian farmers UTZ certified
As part of the Cargill Cocoa Promise, the first Brazilian cocoa farmers have become UTZ Certified and their products can now carry the UTZ Certified label.
Cargill is a founding member of the UTZ Certified Cocoa initiative and promotes sustainable cocoa farming globally by educating and training farmers and farm workers.
In the state of Bahia, four cocoa producers have recently been audited and, by partnering with Cargill, they have become the first to produce UTZ Certified cocoa in Brazil.
An additional 12 cocoa farms are scheduled to be certified by May 2014, representing about 1000 metric tons of UTZ Certified cocoa beans.
Pursuant with the global trend of increasing consumer demand for sustainable products, Cargill presents an extensive portfolio of sustainable cocoa and chocolate products. “The UTZ Certified initiative recognises and rewards the efforts necessary to implement and enhance production processes. By encouraging these practices we reap good fruit, both in respect to cocoa beans as well as the quality of life of farmers, rural workers and the environment. This initiative is aligned with a growing demand from our customers for more sustainable products,” explains Rodrigo Melo, origination manager, Cargill Cocoa and Chocolate Brazil.
