While chocolate is sure to fly off the shelves today in celebration of Valentine’s Day, the benefit to the farmers who harvest the cocoa can vary widely.
Worldwide, 90 percent of smallholder cocoa farmers live on less than $2 a day, “despite growing one of the world's most cherished ingredients,” said Emily Stone, the CEO of Uncommon Cacao, which aims to build more transparent supply chains in the chocolate industry.
From the planting of the cacao tree to the purchasing of the chocolate bar, the entire supply chain is getting by on “miniscule margins,” she said. But a growing number of chocolate brands are trying to demonstrate which approaches can raise the bar for cocoa farmers. What are the bean to bar strategies that the chocolate industry can use to improve lives at the origin?
About the author
Catherine Cheneycatherinecheney
Catherine Cheney is the Senior Editor for Special Coverage at Devex. She leads the editorial vision of Devex’s news events and editorial coverage of key moments on the global development calendar. Catherine joined Devex as a reporter, focusing on technology and innovation in making progress on the Sustainable Development Goals. Prior to joining Devex, Catherine earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Yale University, and worked as a web producer for POLITICO, a reporter for World Politics Review, and special projects editor at NationSwell. She has reported domestically and internationally for outlets including The Atlantic and the Washington Post. Catherine also works for the Solutions Journalism Network, a non profit organization that supports journalists and news organizations to report on responses to problems.
