Exclusive: Divine Chocolate MD Ruth Harding celebrates company’s 25th anniversary
Ruth Harding has continued to lead Divine Chocolate forward to success, as it marks its 25th anniversary. Pic: Divine
Ethically-founded confectionery business, Divine Chocolate UK has enjoyed a memorable 25 years in the industry, as Neill Barston found, quizzing managing director Ruth Harding
Q: This past year has been the 25 anniversary of the company, how have the celebrations been?
A: We were excited to kick off our birthday celebrations earlier this year with a partnership with Clara Amfo, Divine’s new brand ambassador. Clara (below ) has been curating a quarterly series of cultural recommendations, designed to encourage people to do things differently – just as Divine has done in the chocolate industry for the past 25 years.
The idea around ‘doing things differently’ has also enabled us to extend the reach of the campaign by working with several social influencers to curate more content and cultural recommendations for audiences to enjoy.
BBC presenter Clara Amfo is supporting Divine Chocolate, as it marks its 25th anniversary. Pic: Divine
We’ve seen some great engagement online from users, and have achieved above planned impressions, with the second half of the campaign still to come. No anniversary celebration would be complete without a birthday chocolate bar! We were so pleased to bring a great-tasting milk chocolate biscuit bar to market that had the names of 25 Kuapa Kokoo farmers written on front of pack, celebrating the farmers who not only produce Divine, but who, as co-owners, have been integral to the brand’s development. We talked to all 25 farmers about their reflections on the last 25 years and their hopes for next 25 years.
Q: What do you believe has been Divine’s biggest achievement since its formation?
A: It’s 25 years since the first Divine Chocolate bar launched in the UK and we are still the only chocolate company in the world that is Fairtrade and farmer-owned. That says a lot about Divine and, sadly, about the wider chocolate industry. People all over the world love chocolate but 25 years ago not many knew where it came from or gave a thought to the farmers growing the cocoa. Divine’s radically different business model – with farmers at its heart – played a key role in creating the Fairtrade cocoa supply chain.
We demonstrated that the market cares about Fairtrade and influenced change across the industry, resulting in major players in chocolate beginning to move towards Fairtrade cocoa.At Divine we continue to challenge the terms of world trade and advocate that farmers should be sustainably remunerated as suppliers and have a voice and say in their future. We have launched delicious products across many chocolate occasions, using chocolate’s inherent joy to connect to consumers and reframe the conversation.
Q: How challenging has it been to devise new confectionery lines that are both sustainably sourced, and succeeding in retail terms?
A: It’s continuously a challenge for us, particularly as we only source Fairtrade ingredients, which only a small section of manufacturers can handle. However, our commitment to Fairtrade sourcing is at the heart of the business, and whilst this does come at a cost, it’s the right thing to do and we believe a brand that has something else to talk about, other than price, has a real advantage and a clear point of difference.
Q: How has your background in corporate social responsibility helped you in your role
A: Studying CSR early in my career has instilled within me an approach of stakeholder centricity whilst challenging the traditional forms of shareholder primacy. This is paramount for social impact businesses such as Divine Chocolate. I am always interested in ways businesses can challenge the existing status quo and enable consumers to buy in to better social and environmental practices.
Q: The business, once fully owned by farmers, is now part co-operative owned – how significant has this been to the company?
A: Divine Chocolate was set up by a group of cocoa farmers from the Kuapa Kokoo co-operative in Ghana in 1997, with the first Divine Chocolate bar launched in 1998. The Divine business was never fully owned by farmers, rather they were the largest shareholder.
In 2020, Divine was in a position, like many businesses at that time where it needed external finance to continue its operations and grow the business. Kuapa Kokoo and Weinrich (a family run business that has manufactured Divine Chocolate since the beginning) agreed a strategic partnership structure which saw Kuapa Kokoo’s share reduced from 44% to 20%. It was important for Kuapa Kokoo to continue to have influence over the company and reap the benefits for the farmers. Kuapa Kokoo continues to have a 40% board influence. The objective and goals of Divine have not changed, we remained fully committed to putting farmers at the heart of our business and producing great chocolate that empowers both producers and consumers.
What has been your personal highlight with the business over the past five years as MD?
One of things I love about this brand is the platform it provides for the farmer voice and the opportunity for producers and consumers to connect. It has therefore been a pleasure to welcome and host farmers from co-operative groups. It’s the best time to hear their stories first hand and to see the positive reaction from trade and consumers.
How has the market changed most in recent years, and what are its biggest tests?
A: In the past 5 years we have faced Brexit, Covid, the cost of living crisis, HFSS – it’s really been a test of resilience. On top of this we are concerned about climate change and the impact that is having at a farm level in terms of yields and farmer livelihoods. Throughout this, Divine remains focussed on working closely with farmers to understand their needs and respond accordingly and continue delivering great quality chocolate that delights consumers.
Q: Do you have a typical day, and what would it look like if so?
A: Every day is different, no day is the same. It’s part of why I love my job – one minute I can be trying the latest chocolate
innovations to then developing an approach to best communicate a farmer community programme to the trade to then analysing promotional strategies.
Q: How has the market changed most in recent years, and what are its biggest tests?
A: In the past five years we have faced Brexit, Covid, the cost of living crisis, HFSS – it’s really been a test of resilience. On top of this we are concerned about climate change and the impact that is having at a farm level in terms of yields and farmer livelihoods. Throughout this, Divine remains focussed on working closely with farmers to understand their needs, and continue delivering great quality chocolate that delights consumers.
Q: What do you enjoy most outside of work, and how do you try and find balance in your life?
A: My friends have a phrase ‘green therapy’ which is basically getting outdoors and into more natural surroundings – I also have a young son so when I’m not working you’ll find me outdoors in parks, on walks or in playgrounds with him. I’m lucky that I have a great friendship group who still live nearby and I always find time to put down my phone, look up and enjoy my surroundings.
Q: Where next for Divine in the next 25 years of its history?
A: We are proud of what we have achieved in the past 25 years, but we are not done yet. Our vision is a world where farmers thrive and prosper – a vision which depends on fairness, sustainability and empowering farmers. We will continue working hard to expand our impact, working with farmers to address issues like adult literacy, labour rights and women’s empowerment.
We will also continue bringing joy to chocolate lovers with exciting, delicious, innovative products, putting farmers and communities first and showing the world that there is a better way to do business.
