Chocolate Bonus - Puratos Grand Place

Tackling imbalances through skills sharing and education

Too often cocoa farmers are excluded from sharing in the profits generated across the cocoa supply chain. So stark is this imbalance that the average price of a single chocolate bar sold in a first world country will often exceed what a cocoa farmer earns in a week. For many cocoa farming communities, access to modern techniques and environmental practices that could help farmers increase their yields remains an unattainable dream. The result is that, even as demand for chocolate grows, the ability of farmers to supply enough quality cocoa beans will be threatened.

Chocolate bonus – A tool to improve farmers’ livelihood

We – Puratos Grand-Place are conscious that supporting farmers is also about helping to reach a sustainable living income for them and their families. The chocolate bonus is the tool we believe could rebalance the power in the supply chains. Consumers and customers will be able to contribute to lift them out of poverty thanks to a fixed contribution on the price of the Cacao-Trace products. So when you buy Cacao-Trace chocolate products you are supporting the long-term supply chocolate while directly helping to reduce poverty levels of cocoa farmers. For 1 ton of Cacao-Trace dried beans we support farmers 170 USD as a bonus. This simple and transparent payment scheme is unique in the market and ensures that 100% of the Chocolate Bonus reaches farmers through the Next Generation Foundation Cacao Foundation.

Helping cocoa communities help themselves

Today, Cacao-Trace farmers in Vietnam and Ivory Coast receive a Chocolate Bonus twice a year. Local needs determine how the Chocolate Bonus is used. Projects are defined and carefully re-evaluated every two years. For example, farmers in Vietnam receive cash contributions, distributed according to the volume of cocoa beans they deliver. In Ivory Coast, the first project is to supply much-needed water filters.

Fermentation Master

Farmer Training