BBC presenter Clara Amfo becomes Divine chocolate brand ambassador, marking its 25th anniversary
BBC presenter Clara Amfo is supporting Divine Chocolate, as it marks its 25th anniversary. Pic: Divine
Ethically founded confectionery business, Divine Chocolate is marking it 25th anniversary in naming BBC presenter Clara Amfo as a brand ambassador supporting its core mission of addressing industry human rights and environmental issues, writes Neill Barston.
As part of its latest appointment, the Radio One broadcaster will be curating a quarterly digest of recommendations, designed to encourage people to do things differently, exploring major cultural picks on exhibitions, podcasts and events for the summer.
Moreover, Confectionery Production recently spoke to Troy Pearley, the company’s US executive vice president at Sweets & Snacks Expo, who welcomed the company’s major milestone and believed its Fairtrade roots were vital to its ongoing mission.
As the business noted, Clara’s latest ‘Divine Curates series’ will encourage audiences to ‘do things differently’ with the first quarterly digest being posted on 6 July, shared across both Divine and the presenter’s social channels throughout the course of the next year. The series will also include opportunities for chocolate lovers to share snaps of them getting involved, and to win Divine goodies.
Furthermore, as the company added, it has been aiming to drive impact within the industry since its inception in 1998, and is proud to be the first and only Fairtrade chocolate company co-owned by farmers, with its Kuapa KoKoo (translated as good cocoa farmer), co-operative in Ghana, who now own a 20% share in the company.
This had previously stood at around 45% ownership until the company’s recent majority acquisition from German sustainably focused chocolate maker Weinrich, in a move designed to deliver enhanced investment into its global operations.
As the company observed, its core mission has been to help improve the lives of cocoa farmers and their families. This has been achieved through sharing distributable profits with farmer owners, ensuring their voices are heard with seats on the Divine board or through the numerous farmer community programmes.
For her part, Clara Amfo, being of Ghanian descent, and learning from family members who have direct cocoa industry experience, she has developed a passion and curiosity regarding chocolate production and wants to help shine a light on the untold effects that poverty and exploitation can have.
In response to the major problem of underlying lack of income in West Africa which has seen many farmers survive on no more than a $1 a day payment that are significantly below UN-defined poverty levels, the company has focused on schemes including upskilling women and improving labour rights – which reflect the presenter’s own views on support for these key origin supply chain countries.
Clara said: “When a brand goes beyond just purchasing cocoa and wants to thoroughly engage with the communities at the heart of the production, it really sets them apart from other companies. That’s something that Divine has done differently since its inception, and the Divine Curates series is a joyful extension of this, encouraging the world to see and do things differently. I’m delighted to be working with Divine to shed light on the amazing work they’ve done over the past 25 years, and hope chocolate lovers across the country will join us on our journey to do things differently!”
Sophie Loveday-Davies, Marketing Director at Divine believed that the anniversary was of particular importance to the company, as it seeks to enhance its mission work with its core farming partners.
She added: “We’re incredibly excited to be celebrating 25 years of doing things differently in collaboration with Clara. Our key purpose at Divine has been to encourage a new way of thinking around the chocolate industry – whether that’s through co-ownership with cocoa farmers, our community projects, or our Fairtrade and palm-oil free ingredients – we’re on a mission to do business differently. We’re fortunate to have found in Clara a partner who not only shares our ambitions but has also experience and knowledge of the challenges within the cocoa industry. The Divine Curates series will be a powerful reminder of the importance of opening our mind to new experiences and ways of thinking, and the opportunities which doing so can hold.”