Eat chocolate and support young cocoa farmers in Nicaragua
Do you have a definite sweet tooth? Do you think that chocolate is the best thing since sliced bread? Then you are bound to have eaten chocolate made with cocoa from Nicaragua. Together with Vredeseilanden (Rikolto) and YOUCA, Colruyt Group has been running a chain project there since 2017. We buy certified cocoa from 200 young farmers and use it to make chocolate. Whether it's dark or milk, our favourite flavour is chocolate made with a conscience.
Generating enthusiasm among young people
In Nicaragua, small-scale cocoa cultivation can contribute considerably to the sustainable development of the countryside. But to many young people, growing cocoa does not seem very attractive. Why is that? They don't know much - if anything - about growing cocoa, they think cocoa doesn't bring in much money and they see the city as the promised land. “That’s why in 2015, we joined YOUCA to visit the young people in the La Campesina farmers' cooperative”, explains Jorge Flores, coordinator at Vredeseilanden (Rikolto). "Our secret weapon was a mixture of technical and general training, which we hoped would interest the young people in growing cocoa. And that proved to be the case!" As a result, La Campesina can now count on a new generation of motivated farmers. This safeguards the future of small-scale agriculture throughout the entire region.
Cocoa from the source
And how exactly did Colruyt Group get involved? Over to buyer Koen Debusschere. "Since 2017, we have been supporting Vredeseilanden (Rikolto) with their chain project in Nicaragua. And, to do that, we use our own expertise as a retailer. We buy cocoa from young farmers, we turn it into chocolate and we sell the end product in our Colruyt, OKay and Spar shops." So, our Boni Selection house brand carries two products: one with 72% dark chocolate and one with 35% milk chocolate.
Why? Koen: "We are happy to call it social commitment. Our fixed demand for cocoa helps smaller, family farming organisations in the south to improve how they organise themselves. They supply us with sustainable cocoa, which has a UTZ certificate and we help them to create high-quality products that are tailored to the Belgian market. This project adds a little bit more motivation for the young people to stay involved with growing cocoa."
Read moreBuying chocolate = helping cocoa farmers
Can a simple bar of chocolate support young farmers on the other side of the world? Absolutely. You are helping them indirectly in a number of ways and this is how:
- They get a guaranteed honest income.
- They get transparent prices for cocoa.
- They learn to use sustainable farming methods to grow cocoa, plus they apply the UTZ principles.
- They learn business and leadership skills and become more assertive.
- They are encouraged to participate in the La Campesina cooperative; for example, via the young people's committees.
With this initiative, we contribute to the following Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.
