COPAL COCOA Info



COPAL COCOA Info

A Weekly Newsletter of Cocoa Producers' Alliance

| Health and Nutrition |The world’s first climate-​friendly cocoa from Olam |

| | |

|Production and Quality |Labour Issues |

|Dry weather darkens cocoa outlook in west I.Coast | |

|Mexico to become one of the largest organic cocoa producers | |

| |Environmental Issue |

|The Market | |

|Cocoa Slump Signaling Hershey Chocolate Profit: Chart of the Day | |

|Cocoa: prices still higher than justified |Research & Development |

| |Death by chocolate |

|Processing & Manufacturing | |

| |Promotion & Consumption |

| |Lets celebrate 100 years of cocoa production – Prof Anquandah |

|Business & Economy | |

|Chocolate firms find life is sweet amid economic gloom |Others |

|Nestlé's biggest bars bring better lives to cocoa farmers | |

In the News (from Newspapers worldwide)

ICCO Daily Cocoa Prices

| |ICCO Daily Price |ICCO Daily price |London futures |New York futures |

| |(SDR/tonne) |($US/tonne) |(£/tonne) |($US/tonne) |

| | | | | |

|5th December |1437.21 |2237.08 |1437.00 |2225.33 |

| | | | | |

|6th December |1414.03 |2200.56 |1422.67 |2188.67 |

| | | | | |

|7th December |1402.52 |2180.27 |1400.00 |2168.00 |

| | | | | |

|8th December |1387.17 |2159.83 |1385.67 |2157.33 |

| | | | | |

|9th December |1347.65 |2098.67 |1353.67 |2084.00 |

| | | | | |

|Average |1398.00 |2175.00 |1400.00 |2165 |

International Financial Futures and Options Exchange (LIFFE)

London Futures Market – Summary of Trading Activities

(£ per tone)

|Monday |5th December |2011 |  |  |  |  |

|Month |Opening Trans |Settle |Change |Daily High |Daily Low |Volume |

|Dec  2011 |1387 |1380 |-22 |1398S |1379S |17,903 |

|Mar  2012 |1415 |1420 |-15 |1432S |1414 |12,650 |

|May  2012 |1440 |1437 |-15 |1448 |1431 |3,989 |

|Jul  2012 |1450 |1454 |-14 |1464S |1449S |3,106 |

|Sep  2012 |1471 |1467 |-15 |1477S |1463 |2,351 |

|Dec  2012 |1490 |1480 |-15 |1491S |1481S |634 |

|Mar  2013 |1499 |1492 |-15 |1501 |1494S |174 |

|May  2013 |1508 |1501 |-16 |1508 |1500 |21 |

|Jul  2013 |  |1510 |-17 |  |  |0 |

|Sep  2013 |  |1497 |-26 |  |  |0 |

|Average/Totals |  |1464 |  |  |  |40,828 |

|Tuesday |6th December |2011 |  |  |  |  |

|Month |Opening Trans |Settle |Change |Daily High |Daily Low |Volume |

|Dec  2011 |1380 |1359 |-21 |1387S |1352 |3,915 |

|Mar  2012 |1419 |1407 |-13 |1433 |1398S |12,301 |

|May  2012 |1437 |1422 |-15 |1450 |1413 |1,818 |

|Jul  2012 |1456 |1439 |-15 |1467S |1436 |564 |

|Sep  2012 |1468 |1452 |-15 |1480 |1449S |842 |

|Dec  2012 |1471 |1464 |-16 |1494S |1463S |176 |

|Mar  2013 |1487 |1476 |-16 |1489 |1475S |67 |

|May  2013 |1500 |1485 |-16 |1500 |1483S |12 |

|Jul  2013 |  |1494 |-16 |  |  |0 |

|Sep  2013 |  |1471 |-26 |  |  |0 |

|Average/Totals |  |1844 |  |  |  |19,695 |

|Wednesday |7th December |2011 |  |  |  |  |

|Month |Opening Trans |Settle |Change |High |Low |Volume |

|Dec  2011 |1362 |1334 |-25 |1370 |1333 |9,969 |

|Mar  2012 |1410 |1383 |-24 |1422S |1381 |9,105 |

|May  2012 |1422 |1400 |-22 |1437S |1398S |1,935 |

|Jul  2012 |1436 |1417 |-22 |1453S |1415S |392 |

|Sep  2012 |1452 |1431 |-21 |1466 |1430S |1,228 |

|Dec  2012 |1461 |1441 |-23 |1477S |1440S |394 |

|Mar  2013 |1471 |1452 |-24 |1476 |1451S |139 |

|May  2013 |1475 |1461 |-24 |1475S |1466 |16 |

|Jul  2013 |  |1470 |-24 |  |  |0 |

|Sep  2013 |  |1447 |-24 |  |  |0 |

|Average/Totals |  |1424 |  |  |  |23,178 |

|Thursday |8th December |2011 |  |  |  |  |

|Month |Opening Trans |Settle |Change |High |Low |Volume |

|Dec  2011 |1330 |1317 |-17 |1337S |1294S |26,236 |

|Mar  2012 |1383 |1369 |-14 |1389 |1347 |31,924 |

|May  2012 |1399 |1385 |-15 |1404 |1366 |3,558 |

|Jul  2012 |1415 |1403 |-14 |1421S |1385S |2,127 |

|Sep  2012 |1429 |1417 |-14 |1429S |1399S |1,198 |

|Dec  2012 |1440 |1430 |-11 |1442S |1414S |426 |

|Mar  2013 |1451 |1440 |-12 |1451S |1422S |188 |

|May  2013 |1461 |1447 |-14 |1461S |1437S |139 |

|Jul  2013 |  |1436 |-34 |  |  |0 |

|Sep  2013 |  |1413 |-34 |  |  |0 |

|Average/Totals |  |1406 |  |  |  |65,796 |

|Month |Opening Trans |Settle |Change |High |Low |Volume |

|Dec  2011 |1315 |1281 |-36 |1328 |1279 |8,292 |

|Mar  2012 |1368 |1338 |-31 |1383 |1336 |15,503 |

|May  2012 |1386 |1352 |-33 |1396S |1351S |1,668 |

|Jul  2012 |1406 |1371 |-32 |1412S |1373S |2,474 |

|Sep  2012 |1417 |1387 |-30 |1428S |1392S |864 |

|Dec  2012 |1428 |1401 |-29 |1441S |1400S |433 |

|Mar  2013 |1447 |1411 |-29 |1448S |1410S |244 |

|May  2013 |1448 |1419 |-28 |1448S |1440S |9 |

|Jul  2013 |  |1430 |-6 |  |  |0 |

|Sep  2013 |  |1379 |-34 |  |  |0 |

|Average/Totals |  |1377 |  |  |  |

|  |  |  |  |  |5361 |

New York Board of Trade

(New York Futures Market – Summary of Trading Activities)

(US$ per tone)

|Monday |5th Decembeer |2011 |  |  |  |  |

|Month |Open |Price |Change |High |Low |Volume |

|Dec  2011 |0 |2035 |5 |0 |0 |0 |

|Mar  2012 |2228 |2206 |-22 |2249 |2196 |11,428 |

|May  2012 |2240 |2221 |-22 |2259 |2214 |2,811 |

|Jul  2012 |2255 |2237 |-21 |2268 |2234 |399 |

|Sep  2012 |2265 |2247 |-22 |2277 |2244 |267 |

|Dec  2012 |2288 |2258 |-22 |2289 |2251 |169 |

|Mar  2013 |2280 |2272 |-23 |2299 |2273 |110 |

|May  2013 |2300 |2288 |-22 |2320 |2292 |35 |

|Jul  2013 |0 |2299 |-27 |0 |0 |0 |

|Sep  2013 |0 |2309 |-33 |0 |0 |0 |

|Average/Totals |  |2237 |  |  |  |15219 |

|Tuesday |6th December |2011 |  |  |  |  |

|Month |Open |Price |Change |High |Low |Volume |

|Dec  2011 |0 |2000 |-35 |0 |0 |1 |

|Mar  2012 |2200 |2168 |-38 |2216 |2161 |11,205 |

|May  2012 |2218 |2186 |-35 |2225 |2179 |3,356 |

|Jul  2012 |2237 |2202 |-35 |2237 |2197 |688 |

|Sep  2012 |2250 |2214 |-33 |2250 |2209 |229 |

|Dec  2012 |2259 |2223 |-35 |2259 |2222 |143 |

|Mar  2013 |2273 |2235 |-37 |2273 |2236 |137 |

|May  2013 |0 |2249 |-39 |0 |0 |0 |

|Jul  2013 |0 |2261 |-38 |0 |0 |0 |

|Sep  2013 |0 |2275 |-34 |0 |0 |0 |

|Average/Totals |  |2201 |  |  |  |15759 |

|Wednesday |7th December |2011 |  |  |  |  |

|Month |Open |Price |Change |High |Low |Volume |

|Dec  2011 |0 |1974 |-26 |0 |0 |0 |

|Mar  2012 |2178 |2142 |-26 |2211 |2137 |12,644 |

|May  2012 |2195 |2162 |-24 |2230 |2157 |3,640 |

|Jul  2012 |2208 |2179 |-23 |2245 |2175 |886 |

|Sep  2012 |2226 |2188 |-26 |2250 |2183 |299 |

|Dec  2012 |2238 |2197 |-26 |2260 |2197 |268 |

|Mar  2013 |2252 |2209 |-26 |2274 |2209 |376 |

|May  2013 |2272 |2224 |-25 |2294 |2230 |46 |

|Jul  2013 |0 |2236 |-25 |0 |0 |34 |

|Sep  2013 |0 |2247 |-28 |0 |0 |0 |

|Average/Totals |  |2176 |  |  |  |18193 |

|Thursday |8th December |2011 |  |  |  |  |

|Month |Open |Price |Change |High |Low |Volume |

|Dec  2011 |0 |1968 |-6 |0 |0 |8 |

|Mar  2012 |2140 |2131 |-11 |2154 |2078 |12,979 |

|May  2012 |2161 |2148 |-14 |2169 |2100 |2,780 |

|Jul  2012 |2169 |2166 |-13 |2179 |2124 |1,246 |

|Sep  2012 |2175 |2180 |-8 |2191 |2139 |676 |

|Dec  2012 |2166 |2186 |-11 |2199 |2143 |188 |

|Mar  2013 |2197 |2199 |-10 |2202 |2197 |30 |

|May  2013 |2216 |2213 |-11 |2224 |2216 |14 |

|Jul  2013 |0 |2226 |-10 |0 |0 |0 |

|Sep  2013 |0 |2235 |-12 |0 |0 |0 |

|Average/Totals |  |2165 |  |  |  |17921 |

|Friday |9th December |2011 |  |  |  |  |

|Month |Open |Price |Change |High |Low |Volume |

|Dec  2011 |1920 |1936 |-32 |1947 |1898 |25 |

|Mar  2012 |2128 |2067 |-64 |2154 |2053 |10,719 |

|May  2012 |2148 |2086 |-62 |2167 |2075 |2,087 |

|Jul  2012 |2166 |2104 |-62 |2166 |2094 |418 |

|Sep  2012 |2180 |2116 |-64 |2184 |2103 |194 |

|Dec  2012 |2186 |2123 |-63 |2192 |2122 |83 |

|Mar  2013 |2125 |2136 |-63 |2125 |2125 |13 |

|May  2013 |0 |2148 |-65 |0 |0 |0 |

|Jul  2013 |0 |2159 |-67 |0 |0 |0 |

|Sep  2013 |0 |2168 |-67 |0 |0 |0 |

|Average/Totals |  |2104 |  |  |  |13539 |

|Average for the week  |2104 |  |  |  |2462 |

|  |  |  |  |  |2462 |

News

Dry weather darkens cocoa outlook in west I.Coast

Reuters Africa

By Loucoumane Coulibaly

Dec 5, 2011

ABIDJAN Dec 5 (Reuters) - Continued hot and dry weather in western Ivory Coast, a key cocoa growing region, heightened worries among farmers that supply could drop off starting early next year.

Ivory Coast is the world's top cocoa producer, accounting for more than a third of global supply, and much of the output comes from plantations in the west. "It hasn't rained for a long time. We are no longer optimistic. Production will drop sharply in a month," said Attoungbre Kouame, who farms in Daloa where a quarter of Ivory Coast's cocoa is grown. He said the lack of rain in recent weeks was impeding trees from producing new pods that would be harvested from January onward, leaving only larger pods for prompt harvest.

Other farmers said conditions were favourable for drying main crop beans and that quality would likely be good, though they added there was concern about supply into next year and worries about bushfires during the dry season.

A meteorologist in Abidjan said the seasonal winds, called the harmattan, had begun blowing from the north, marking the start of the dry season. The harmattan typically starts in December and lasts through March "The harmattan is already blowing in the north and is moving south," the meteorologist said, adding he expected the harmattan to end early this year along the southern coast.

No rain was reported in western regions of Soubre, Gagnoa and Duekoue and in the southern region of Aboisso. Good growing conditions were reported in the coastal region of Sassandra where 5 mm of rains were reported last week compared with 18 mm previously. One light rain was reported in coastal region of San Pedro and two rains in southern region of Divo.

Mexico to become one of the largest organic cocoa producers

Fresh Fruit Portal

December 9th, 2011

Mexico is to invest MXN400 million (US$29.2 million) in planting 400 million organic cocoa trees which will make it the largest producer on the American continent.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development and Fishing (SAGARPA) launched the first phase of the Mayan Biosana project by announcing 100 million organic trees would be planted with an investment of MXN100 million (US$7.3 million) shortly.

The scheme is aimed at broadening profitable crops for farmers in the tropics and creating 2000 jobs for 12 communities living in the south eastern Mexican state of Quintana Roo.

Humid tropics programme coordinator (PTH), Pedro Ernesto del Castillo Cueva, explained each of the four phases would require 100 million pesos in irrigation technology. He said the project would use international technology for growing and harvesting organic cocoa. Sophisticated irrigation systems would be built to give a high performance with low operating costs and minimum wastage.

Del Castillo Cueva said the new plantation aims to have a yield of 2.5 metric tons per hectare and will also have a processing plant aimed at producing high quality chocolate. The project will also offer training grants and support for independent cocoa producers with the potential of developing 300 extra hectares.

Cocoa Slump Signaling Hershey Chocolate Profit: Chart of the Day

Bloomberg

By Joe Richter –

Dec 4, 2011

A slump in cocoa futures to a 32- month low may mean profit gains for chocolate makers including Hershey Co. (HSY) that raised prices for consumers earlier this year as ingredient costs escalated.

The CHART OF THE DAY shows cocoa has plunged 41 percent from a 32-year high of $3,775 a metric ton on ICE Futures U.S. in New York on March 4, while the Hershey, Pennsylvania-based food company company rallied 23 percent this year to $57.84 a share in New York, the biggest gain among the 14 companies tracked by the Standard & Poor’s 500 Packaged Foods Index.

Slowing economic growth has done little to curb Americans’ appetite for chocolate. U.S. sales rose 6.7 percent in the 52 weeks ended Oct. 30, with prices on average climbing 6 cents to $1.56 per unit, according to SymphonyIRI Group, a Chicago-based research firm. Hershey, the maker of Hershey’s bars, Kit Kat and Reese’s, raised prices 9.7 percent in March.

“Pricing is holding up,” said Robert Moskow, an analyst at Credit Suisse Group AG in New York, who has an “outperform” rating on Hershey shares. “The stickiness in pricing is definitely a good thing” for the profit outlook, Moskow said.

Cocoa futures have dropped on forecasts for record crops from Ivory Coast and Ghana, the world’s biggest growers. The commodity settled at $2,228 on Dec. 2. The impact on companies may not be immediate because many purchase supplies months in advance to hedge against the risk of a jump in prices, Moskow said. His 12-month price target for Hershey is $68.

“Hershey increased prices just before cocoa spot prices began to fall precipitously, so this is working out well in their favor,” Ken Shea, a senior industry analyst at Bloomberg Industries in Princeton, New Jersey, said in a telephone interview. “It’s intuitive to think that their margins are going to benefit over the next few quarters.”

Cocoa: prices still higher than justified



By Gary Mead

December 7, 2011

Will the last remaining cocoa bull please lie down and go to sleep for a year. It was a good run, but hopes that international cocoa prices will linger for much longer above $2,000/tonne during the 2011-2012 season are looking slimmer by the day.

Having touched a 32-year high of $3,775/tonne in March this year – thanks to the trade embargo imposed by the international community on Ivory Coast, during a bloody but brief civil war – international cocoa prices have tumbled by more than 40%. Even though they are now at their lowest in three years, at $2,168/tonne (as of close of business in New York on 6 December) they still seem considerably over-valued, given various negative factors.

For one thing, the manufacturing cocoa buying surge for Christmas – traditionally a peak sale time for chocolate – is well behind us. And it’s a long time to Easter, the other big annual chocolate binge. And, no doubt, cocoa processors have been taking steady advantage of declining prices by re-stocking well ahead.

For another, there’s every indication that the 2011-2012 season’s crop could perhaps be even bigger than last year, when global production hit a record 4 million tonnes. Ivory Coast’s cocoa arrivals at ports by 4 December were around 423,000 tonnes since the start of the new season in October, almost 23,000 tonnes higher year-on-year by the same date. With the fixed price in neighbouring Ghana at Cedis 3,280/tonne ($2,051/tonne) and the floating price in Ivory Coast way below that, there’s bound to be a strong smuggling flow of cocoa out of Ivory Coast and into Ghana. If Ivory Coast is smuggling into Ghana yet also showing such strong port arrivals’ figures, this suggests yet again a great cocoa harvest, at least in the main crop.

And the weather conditions generally favour a very good West African crop. The Australian Meteorological Bureau today (7 December) said that the current La Niña has strengthened and is likely to last through Q1 2012. La Niñas tend to correlate with strong West Africa cocoa crops. This ought to result in sufficiently good enough soil moisture levels for the 2012 mid crops in both Ivory Coast and Ghana. There might be a sting in the tail however – some reports out of Ivory Coast suggest that rainfall levels in Daloa, which accounts for around 25% of the country’s cocoa output, has had little rainfall in the past couple of weeks. Now that the dry season harmattan has arrived across West Africa, it may be that the region’s mid crop undershoots early expectations. But there’s little doubt that 2011-2012 will see an overall surplus: it’s just a question of, how much?

Longer-term these conditions are unlikely to prevail however. The La Niña will eventually end (although it may not completely disappear until 2013, if past precedent is anything to go by); demand will inexorably rise (although perhaps not as fast as in pre-recession years); and demand is likely to be especially strong in emerging markets. Cadbury’s foray into India this year is one straw in the wind. And Nestlé’s (now approved) purchase of a major Chinese confectionery producer is another. So the outlook for cocoa prices remains much as it was: long-term fresh records are likely to be set, but in the short-term it looks increasingly like a case of trying to catch falling knives.

Chocolate firms find life is sweet amid economic gloom

BBC News

By Melanie Abbott Radio 4's You and Yours

6 December 2011

Chocolate-makers around the world are reporting buoyant sales despite the economic gloom.

One UK company has reported a 25% surge in profits. In Syria, one of the largest producers has increased sales over the past six years from 150 packs a day to more than a million.

One of its biggest successes is a 2ft-long wafer exported to Iraq called Today King Size.

Analyst Marcia Mogelonsky from Mintel said: "Unlike a lot of other foodstuffs chocolate is somewhat recession-resistant. "Consumers will turn to chocolate as a reward or a treat. And because there are so many new chocolates coming on the market there's always something new."

In the past year more than 500 new products have been launched in the UK - some of them seasonal. The value of sales rose by 5% over the last year.

'Affordable luxury'

Some of those sales were picked up by the company Hotel Chocolat, based in Hertfordshire.

Pre-tax profits rose by 25% year on year. This is down to a 12% increase in sales and efficiencies at the manufacturing headquarters in Cambridge.

The co-founder of the company, Peter Harris, said: "We see ourselves as affordable luxury. And we try to show originality and innovation. We have also invested in the business to expand further." Production line for Hotel Chocolat chocolates Chocolate has been a recession-eating product for staff at Hotel Chocolat

Part of that investment came from customers via a Chocolate Bond. For a £2,000 or £4,000 investment customers receive a monthly selection of chocolates.

The bond raised £4m and has funded new stores. The first Scottish store opens next week in Edinburgh. And the second US store opened in New York last month.

The company also has a Chocolate Tasting Club, which expanded into Scandinavia 18 months ago. Members are sent a selection every month.

Terry Waters, managing director of the club, said: "We have around 12,000 members in Sweden, Norway and Denmark now.

"We also launched in the US just over a year ago and we are planning to launch a small test trial in Germany soon."

Cocoa prices

Not every manufacturer is enjoying a boom though. Thorntons' pre-tax profits fell by 37% and the shareholder final dividend dropped from 4p to 0.25p.

“In the coming years prices will go up. For customers it's going to mean smaller portions of more complicated products”, Hans Vriens Chief Innovation Officer, Barry Callebaut It has launched a restructuring which includes closing up to 180 of its stores. This will leave it with 200 shops.

Chief executive Jonathan Hart said: "The big challenge we have in our business is our own stores. "For some time now we have found ourselves with a retail estate that is too large. The price of being in the High Street continues to increase year on year and that has served to squeeze our profitability quite significantly."

Thorntons will increase supermarket sales and its online service to fill the gap left by the closed stores. There are challenges to come for all manufacturers - a decline in the number of cocoa farmers and the quality and quantity of cocoa beans.

Cocoa growers are struggling to make the business profitable. The average earning is £2 a day and many farmers are turning away from cocoa to rubber and palm oil.

Child labour

Experts say poor pay means some farmers employ children. Nestle has announced an investigation into reports of children working on farms supplying its factories. Thorntons sign Thorntons is to close nearly half of its stores after a fall in profits

Christoph Inauen, head of sustainability at the Swiss chocolate company Halba, said it was impossible for any chocolate manufacturer to guarantee child-free farms.

"Different studies show that around 250,000 children are working on cocoa plantations. I was working in Mali and Burkina Faso and some of my neighbours sold their children for around £20 to £30 to work on cocoa plantations. It is not possible for manufacturers to police this," he said.

Added to this is the pressure for more cocoa as demand rises.

The world's largest chocolate producer, Barry Callebaut, predicted there would be a demand for a million more tonnes of cocoa beans in the next 10 years. Hans Vriens, the company's chief innovation officer, said it would mean paying more for products with less cocoa content. "In the coming years prices will go up. For customers it's going to mean smaller portions of more complicated products with one or two fillings and decorations - more praline-type products with more taste and variety."

Analyst Marcia Mogelonsky said some customers may be happy with this but others might feel a little cheated. "It will depend on the quality of the chocolate. For most people who eat chocolate that is the main thing. For those who really love the stuff they may not be happy with this development," she said.+

Nestlé's biggest bars bring better lives to cocoa farmers

(press release)

Dec. 7, 2011

TORONTO

The Cocoa Plan launches in Canada

TORONTO, - Canadian chocolate lovers can now enjoy their favourite treats even more as regular size formats of KIT KAT, AERO, COFFEE CRISP and SMARTIES, are now part of The Cocoa Plan - Nestlé's global program dedicated to improving the lives of farmers in cocoa-growing regions of the world.

The Cocoa Plan is an initiative in which Nestlé is working to improve the livelihoods of cocoa farmers through a number of programs including: distributing higher-yield, disease-resistant plants that produce more income, providing education for farmers and their families, improving infrastructure in farming communities and addressing and eliminating the use of child labour in the cocoa supply chain.

Canada is one of the first five countries in the world to introduce Cocoa Plan sourced chocolate. "Nestlé is investing $120 million through The Cocoa Plan to help address some of the very complex challenges that are facing the cocoa farming communities that we work with," said Terri Tinella, president of Nestlé Canada's confectionary division. "For Canadians, The Cocoa Plan is an opportunity to make a simple choice that will benefit people and communities in other parts of the world. The Cocoa Plan is part of Nestlé's commitment to Creating Shared Value — the idea that the company's business activities should benefit our shareholders, and at the same time create value in the communities we work in and source ingredients from."

The Cocoa Plan: Sustainable supply, comprehensive commitment

Approximately 95 per cent of cocoa today is grown on small family farms - many of which face challenges related to diseased crops and other economic and social stresses. In fact, disease and aging plant stocks are leading contributors to the decline in cocoa productivity. With limited financial and educational resources, farmers and families are struggling to maintain their cocoa crops, leading to a global reduction in cocoa supply. The Cocoa Plan aims to improve the productivity of individual cocoa farms to ensure that Canadians can enjoy their favourite chocolate brands for years to come.

Working in partnership with communities, Nestlé is focusing its efforts on areas of greatest need: farmer education, sustainability (plant science), supply chain efficiency, improving social conditions and working with partners to address local issues.

The journey toward a sustainable cocoa supply

Nestlé Canada is now purchasing enough cocoa from The Cocoa Plan initiative to produce regular sizes of its top-selling bars, Kit Kat, Coffee Crisp, Aero and Smarties, in single and multi-pack formats.

As part of The Cocoa Plan, Nestlé will:

* Help improve social conditions. Nestlé is the first food company in the world to partner with the Fair Labor Association (FLA) - an independent, non-profit multi-stakeholder initiative that will investigate whether children are working on cocoa farms supplying its factories. Where they find evidence of child labour, the FLA will identify the root causes and advise Nestlé on how to address them in ways that are sustainable and lasting. Investigative work will begin early in 2012 in the Ivory Coast, the world's largest exporter of cocoa. A public report will be released in the spring of 2012, the results of which will guide Nestlé's future operations.

* Train 30,000 cocoa farmers in the areas of plant science and tree propagation by 2015. Nestlé's farmer training program helps cocoa farmers adopt sustainable farming practices, improve yields and quality of plants and increase income derived from cocoa farming.

* Distribute 12 million high-yielding, disease-resistant trees by 2019. To date, more than one million trees have been distributed, enabling farmers to replace crops of aging, unproductive cocoa trees.

UTZ: Independent certification

Nestlé Canada has partnered with UTZ Certified, an independent international non-profit organization, whose vision is to achieve sustainable supply on the Cocoa Plan initiative. UTZ Certified is working with Nestlé to certify Cocoa Plan partner cooperatives.

"The goal of the UTZ certification program is three-fold: improved economic and social conditions for the farmers and their communities; traceability for assurance that the cocoa was sustainably-sourced and; helping consumers continue to enjoy their favourite brands while feeling good the products were grown responsibly," says Daan de Vries, Head of Cocoa at UTZ. "We're excited that an organization as large and iconic as Nestlé is bringing certified cocoa products to the Canadian market."

About The Cocoa Plan

The Cocoa Plan is Nestlé's way of helping to tackle key issues facing cocoa farmers, their families and communities in order to create a brighter future for cocoa farming and a sustainable supply of cocoa. It covers all aspects of a cocoa bean's journey, starting with farmers and ending with the consumer. Nestlé's vision for The Cocoa Plan is to help cocoa farmers run profitable farms, respect the environment, have a good quality of life and for their children to benefit from an education and see cocoa farming as a respectable profession. For more information visit .

The world’s first climate-​friendly cocoa from Olam



By Rebecca Prescott

8 Dec 2011

Olam International and Rainforest Alliance have teamed up to produce the world’s first “climate-​friendly cocoa” in Ghana as part of their ongoing collaboration.

Working with cocoa farmers in the Western region of the country, this $1m project will have huge impact on informing Ghana’s emerging national REDD+ strategy and its low carbon development plans.

This programme has been launched in the Juabeso/​Bia district, an area that borders a national park and a forest reserve. Cocoa completely dominates the landscape in this region and illegal encroachment into forest areas is still observed.

Tensie Whelan, president of Rainforest Alliance, said, “This collaboration with Olam offers an ideal opportunity to stop the deforestation of this sensitive area so that we can protect biodiversity in standing forests while at the same time planting 100 hectares of native tree species for carbon sequestration in the fight against climate change.”

The programme will start with training and logistical support for 2,000 farmers in 13 communities and will increase throughout the project. The focus will be on improving and increasing production through sustainable farming practices — specifically teaching farmers how the carbon stocks of cocoa, shade trees and soil can be improved by developing specific farming practices. These will enable communities to adapt to the changing climate whilst at the same time mitigate the potential adverse changes.

Simple farmer-​friendly tools to estimate on-​farm biomass, conduct tree inventories, calculate carbon stocks and estimate and monitor GHG emissions will be developed, enabling farmers to implement climate-​friendly farming.

Gerard Manley, MD, Cocoa, Olam International said: “The private sector has a key role to play in working with farmers to improve their farming practices, helping to generate better livelihoods, as well as protecting natural habitats. We will continue to work with Rainforest Alliance to ensure the long-​term viability of the cocoa sector and prosperity for the local communities.”

Death by chocolate

Hong Kong Standard

By Mercy Lo

December 09, 2011

The Mayans would never have guessed that cocoa beans - which they considered so divine they only used them in their most sacred rituals many centuries ago - would be developed into today's best- known sweet treat: chocolate.

Nestled on the 103th floor of the Ritz- Carlton Hong Kong hotel, Cafe 103 (Tel: 2263-2263) is famed for its afternoon tea set (HK$238 for one). "We use different chocolates with different percentages of cocoa content to create a variety of pastries in this tea set," says executive pastry chef Richard Long Yoke-men.

Presented in a mini bookshelf, the tea set comes with three savory bites and seven chocolate treats, including the chocolate madeleine made with Nyangbo chocolate (68 percent cocoa), and the white chocolate berries shot made with Ivory white chocolate (38 percent cocoa).

"The chocolate mille-feuille contains many layers of chocolate goodness, including brownies, chocolate pieces, and milk chocolate cream, all made with the Caraibe chocolate with 66 percent cocoa," Long says.

The chef pairs framboise with Manjari chocolate (64 percent cocoa), as he finds the acidity in the aftertaste of this chocolate goes particularly well with the tangy sweetness of the fruit.

Instead of using chocolates of different cocoa content, Awfully Chocolate (Tel: 3122-4466), with stores across Hong Kong, makes all its heavenly sinful chocolate products from a Belgium dark cocoa powder with 70 percent cocoa, combined with all natural ingredients.

"When the store was opened in Singapore 13 years ago, they sold only one product - the four-layered All Chocolate cake (HK$198), and it remains the best-selling product," said Regina Sam, the exclusive franchisee in Hong Kong.

But her favorite is the later developed chocolate banana cake (HK$228), made with fresh king bananas from Thailand.

Sam also recommends the "hei" chocolate ice cream (HK$28), which has a smooth creamy texture because of its low air content, along with the soft and moist super stacked chocolate cake (HK$38), which piles 12 layers of chocolate sponge and chocolate fudge together.

Need some fun gift ideas for your chocoholic friend this Christmas? Venchi (Tel: 3101-9981) in Tsim Sha Tsui's Harbour City is the place to go.

"The founder of the brand is like Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," said Diana Wong Sok- man, who received the distribution rights to bring the Italian brand to Hong Kong.

Resembling caviar, the chocavair (HK$168), which won the most innovative prize in Europe right after it came out in 2004, is a tin of tiny chocolate beads, each made with seven layers of chocolate from seven different places.

Also recommended is the handmade chocolate cigar (HK$128) in three flavors - orange, hazelnut and nougatine - covered with a dark chocolate shell.

Apart from its wooden cigar box packaging, this edible cigar is also available in a nutcracker package.

Every year at this time, Haagen- Dazs (Tel: 2724-6868) tempts you with its signature chocolate fondue, starting from HK$218. "We found that customers these days prefer desserts to be less sweet," said associate marketing manager Gloria Shek Hoi-yue. "After trying over 10 combinations, we finally came up with this rich chocolate sauce, mixed with 72 percent French dark chocolate."

The chocolate fondue is served with eight flavors of Haagen-Dazs ice cream, from Belgium chocolate and vanilla, to green tea and strawberry, and a tropical fruit platter.

Lets celebrate 100 years of cocoa production – Prof Anquandah

Vibe Ghana

December 8, 2011

Professor James R Anquandah, an anthropologist and historian, has called for a national celebration of one centenary of commercial cocoa production in the country. “The country leapt into the league of cocoa producing countries in 1911 and excelled at producing quality cocoa beans both for domestic and exotic consumption, thus making it a feat worthy of national celebration.”

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview in Accra on Thursday, Prof. Anquandah of the Department of Archeology, University of Ghana, expressed dissatisfaction that the year 2011 was almost over yet nothing had been organised to celebrate 100 years of cocoa production, a commodity mostly associated with Ghana. He stressed that an event such as this was worth noting and celebrating since it added to the country’s rich store of cultural heritage and helped consolidate efforts to preserve the past.

Available records indicate that Dutch Missionaries planted cocoa in the coastal areas of the then Gold Coast Colony as early as 1815, whilst in 1857, the Basel Missionaries also planted cocoa at Aburi, in the Eastern Region.

However, these did not result in the spread of cocoa cultivation until Tetteh Quarshie, a native of Osu, Accra, who had travelled to Fernando Po in the present day Equatorial Guinea, and worked there as a blacksmith, returned in 1879 with Amelonado cocoa pods and established a farm at Akwapim Mampong in the Eastern Region.

Farmers bought pods from his farm to plant and cultivation spread from the Akwapim hills area to other parts of the Eastern Region.

Historical facts show that in 1886, Sir William Bradford Griffith, the then Governor, also arranged for cocoa pods to be brought in from Sao Tome, from which seedlings were raised at the Aburi Botanical Garden and distributed to farmers.

Cocoa remains Ghana’s golden pod, playing a significant role in the economy as one of the country’s traditional leading foreign exchange earners.

Ghana’s cocoa production stood at 500,000 tonnes in 1965 but by 1983, it had dropped to as low as 150,000 tonnes; low prices and poorly motivated cocoa farmers switched over to competing crops, further aggravating the problems of inefficiency and under-investment.

Cocoa production started to pick up, however, with the redevelopment of the agricultural sector, better techniques and other farm inputs were made available to cocoa farmers.

These measures, in addition to better transport of cocoa beans from the farms, improved feeder roads, government’s deregulation of the industry to allow for greater private sector participation and the concentration on providing secure markets for farmers through an aggressive marketing programme, contributed to a revival of production.

Recently, Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) announced that it had exceeded the one million metric tonne target it set for the 2010/11 cocoa season which is on-going.

The season attained an unprecedented level of 1,004,194 metric tonnes on 18th August, 2011 representing the 10th week of the Light Crop season.

COCOBOD attributed the unprecedented feat to the concerted efforts of government, farmers and other stakeholders in the industry through adherence to good agronomic practices, payment of remunerative producer price, application of fertilizers, disease and pest control, use of hybrid cocoa seedlings and scientific research.

It further stated that after the liberalisation of the internal marketing of cocoa, there has been the implementation of pragmatic policies to ensure that the country sustains the quality of cocoa it offers on the global market and also improving the production levels.

Mr Noah Amenyah, Public Affairs Manager of COCOBOD, in reaction to Professor Anquandah’s recommendation, told the GNA that the cocoa marketing giant, had instituted October 1st, as a Cocoa day to be celebrated annually, thus commemorating the centenary commercial production of cocoa would be ”too much to ask for” According to him, at the last celebration of Cocoa day in Effiduase in the Ashanti Region, it was emphasised that Ghana had attained 100 years of commercial cocoa production.

The occasion known as the Cocoa Producers Alliance, (COPAL) Cocoa Day was under the theme: “Cocoa, Our Prosperity, Our Life”.

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ISSUE NO. 469 5TH – 9TH DECEMBER 2011

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