Exclusive: Singapore set to stage latest edition of the Cocoa Association of Asia conference
Shirley Choo, of the Cocoa Association of Asia offers a key update on its annual conference. Pic: Neill Barston.
As the chief operating officer and secretary general of the Cocoa Association of Asia, Shirley Choo, has enjoyed an extremely busy year in industry. Editor Neill Barston quizzes her ahead of the group’s CAA international conference next month.
Q: How are preparations going for this year’s event in Singapore?
A: This is going to be our third edition of our event, after starting in 2017 with our very first show and it started to grow from there. We held a major conference in 2022, where we had over 500 people from 40 countries turned up, even despite Covid-19, we had many people who turned up for it. There is presently a challenging cocoa environment, but this is prompting industry players to come together. The team came up with a theme that is relevant to the industry and worked hard to get good speakers and special guests to join the conference.
Q: How did you first get into the cocoa world?
A: I have been in industry for 28 years now, and worked for multinationals, including working in ophthalmology. I took a break, and then found myself working for Cargill, and I was asked to work on a project for a new cocoa innovation centre. I joined the cocoa association five years ago and had never been in one before, though chocolate is something that I have loved.
Q: This year’s event includes a new element dedicated to farmers – how is that progressing?
I’ve found in conferences that as you move around, you wonder where the stakeholders actually are – so I approached the board members of the CAA, and said I am thinking of adding a segment that is just for farmers. This will be just as you would do with a company workshop and inviting them to come together and look at what the future looks like for the industry, and what the issues are, and how we solve them. I thought, why don’t we bring farmers together from different regions to do the same thing, as they have similar issues, and it would be great if they could hear directly from their peers.
Q: As a region, Asia has previously had a strong cocoa market, how has it been performing of late?
A: In 2022 our conference theme was on resilience, so we foresee that times are challenging within cocoa, as regions recover from covid differently, which is why we have placed a one-day session for members regarding this to establish what is going on in the market. The feedback we have been getting so far has been very good.
I think in this moment it is especially important that we come together otherwise there will be few players left. In bringing farmers in for a day, we want to motivate and inspire them, and for them to feel that what they are doing is getting some attention. I think that recognition is important. It’s about two simple things, how to get farmers growing and chocolate flowing!
Q: What is it that you enjoy most about your job?
A: I think it’s the ability to make a difference is what I enjoy, looking at sustainability on a company level, but as an association I feel that when we speak to UN Committees or EU Commission, that’s where we can make a difference. The things that we are discussing now are a lot more global with issues like climate change, they’re bigger in scope, which is what I really love. It is also good to bring different companies – sometimes competitors– to the same table and have a common agenda for the industry.
Q: How is cocoa production in the region going this season?
A: I think there’s still a lot of work to be done to ensure that cocoa production remains stable and does not decline. We have just refreshed our sustainability commitment and look at initiatives to push the production of cocoa in a positive way. The cocoa industry is filled with passionate people, they are some of the friendliest I’ve met, and they see it is more than just a commodity, they want to do good work with it.
Q: How important is it that farmers in the sector have a genuine voice?
If there’s no farmers, there’s no food, and we would not have chocolate, then you would need to grow it in the lab. So, whatever we take away from the International Farmers network, will be presented during the cocoa conference itself, to ensure that we ‘walk the talk, with sustainability being the first topic that we kick off with, so the takeaways will be presented.
Q: What is it like living and working in Singapore, where the CAA is based?
Yes, I love it here. It’s wonderful place to live. It’s maybe not the cheapest place to live, but it is very safe, and there are lots of opportunities everywhere here, and its economy is strong, thanks to government investment initiatives.
Q: What do think of the EUDR deforestation regulations – how will they impact your region?
I think it will affect everywhere, and as an organisation, we will help companies get prepared for it. Indeed, we were the first to kick off a webinar on this last year, in which we have looked to explain what the legislation can do for farmers. We are playing our part to help the industry. The question that everyone is asking is who will bear the cost of it, and we do hope that the EU will help provide clarity on this. But we believed that it is something that is for the greater good, though we do need to look at its implementation. It will be one of the content areas that we will be talking about for our conference – not everyone will be equally ready for it, but we are here to try and help smooth the path for it.
Q: What do you believe the biggest tests are facing the region?
A: I think it’s the realisation that you cannot have sustainability without profitability – otherwise you do not have the money to run a business, so you must consider how much it costs to implement sustainability. There’s an appetite for Asian chocolate, as consumers there don’t mind paying more for fine chocolate- there’s a range of chocolate out there. you can find many brands in Singapore, and it’s a growth market.
- The CAA international conference is between 12-13 September, for more details visit cocoasia.org
