Ferrero makes major transparency release of its key Ghana and Ivory Coast cocoa suppliers
A key cocoa supply chain transparency move has been unveiled by the Ferrero Group, which has for the first time disclosed the full list of farming cooperatives it works with, primarily in Ivory Coast and Ghana, reports Neill Barston.
The development has come as the Italian-founded business continues to make progress against its wider sustainability goals with its international confectionery operations.
As part of its latest initiative, it names all its tier-1 suppliers and all cocoa farmers from which the company sourced cocoa and chocolate during the2019/2020 season. The list of dozens of businesses also includes groups in Nigeria, Cameroon, Ecuador and Colombia.
According to the company, its disclosure is now possible due to Ferrero’s effort to improve transparency across its cocoa supply chain, aiming to source all cocoa from dedicated farmer groups through supply chains which are fully traceable to farm level.The Ferrero Group is committed to sharing updates on its cocoa farmer groups list regularly from now on. The full list can be viewed here.
Furthermore, one of its main areas of focus has been its Farming Values programme, said it is committed to supporting and improving cocoa farming sustainability to have a positive and lasting impact on cocoa farming families, communities and the environment. The business noted that it is crucial that it delivers on a promise to consumers to provide products of the highest quality and freshness, produced in a responsible way.
This includes ensuring the company source 100% sustainable cocoa verified by independently managed schemes such as Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade, Cocoa Horizons.
This is already underpinned by the fact over 90% of its total cocoa volume is sourced from the dedicated farmer groups we support through the Ferrero Farming Values Cocoa programme.
As the company added, it mainly sources cocoa beans that are then processed in its own plants. This requires specific know-how and is a distinctive feature of Ferrero’s quality promise.
Significantly, the company sources these beans as physically traceable, ensuring a direct link between the farmers that supply the business, and the cocoa used in its products. This is said to be a significant factor in improving sustainability targeting, which is also enhanced through using technology to map farms and sourcing areas to monitor productivity and identify any deforestation risks.
Under its present schemes, the company supports local farmers with its sustainability programme, which focuses on three areas: improving the livelihoods of farmers and communities, protecting children’s rights and safeguarding the natural capital.
