As our contingency of Dutch, Ivorian, and Americans waited to see the Ashanti King, drums pounded and bright colors flashed, and delegations passed by to pay their respects to the king. We were on a mission to create a film called “For the Love of Chocolate.” But not just a love of that creamy, sweet chocolate bar that we’re all familiar with in western
Please see below a press release on the Vision for Change and our partnership with ICRAF and national partners, which was released earlier this week:
Abidjan – 20 November 2012 For over a hundred years, cocoa has been the black gold of Western Africa, despite a political trading past that has often darkened the pages of history. Now, a partnership between two unlikely organizations
We have a special guest blog post by Ermias Betemariam, Land Health Scientist from the World Agroforesty Centre (ICRAF), who recently returned from Cote d’Ivoire.
I recently returned from a work trip to Côte d’Ivoire, the world’s largest cocoa producer. Part of my time there was spent visiting with smallholder cocoa farmers involved in the Vision for Change: Sustainable Cocoa Communities project.
The project—a
For our French readers, we offer these observations on the Vision for Change project in Cote d’Ivoire
C’est un ambitieux programme de revitalisation du verger cacaoyer en Côte d’Ivoire que le projet Vision for Change (V4C) lancé par l’industriel chocolatier MARS Inc.et mis en œuvre par World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF)- Centre International de Recherche en Agroforesterie- qui se déroule depuis un an déjà dans
Today, Mars Inc. released its 2nd annual Principles in Action summary, which details the company’s approach to business and Mar’s commitment to put its Five Principles into action. As part of the summary, we are highlighting our Sustainable Cocoa Initiative.
As readers of this blog know, creating a sustainable cocoa sector that can meet the chocolate industry’s long-term demand for cocoa, the
The most effective way to raise productivity on farms is to show best practice in action and to give farmers the skills and tools they need to apply it on their own farms. In Petit Bondoukou, Mars Chocolate is beginning to do just that by implementing a Cocoa Development Center.
Scroll through these photos to see some snapshots of daily life in the community
Take a few minutes to read this month’s issue of NCA Journal for a piece regarding our Sustainable Cocoa Initiative. The magazine interviewed Andrew Harner for a comprehensive article on the work we are doing in cocoa sustainability, with a special focus on the Vision for Change program in Côte d’Ivoire. It was gratifying to discuss with them the importance of the Cocoa Development
I last posted about a series of meetings in January involving representatives from the Governments of Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, officials of the US Department of Labor, the congressional offices of Tom Harkin and Eliot Engel and the global cocoa industry – the group which makes up the Child Labor Cocoa Coordinating Group (CLCCG). These meetings sought to address the continuing concerns around the persistence
Grant Reid talked with last week with NJBiz reporter Melinda Caliendo about Mars’s vision to purchase all our cocoa from sustainable sources by 2020. Mars Global Chocolate is headquartered in NJ, and it’s great news for the cocoa industry that the New Jersey business community is taking notice of our sustainability efforts.
Melinda’s piece, which you can access here, goes into some detail
