3F philosophy Fruit - Farmer - Forest: The foundation of Puratos product quality

Every plant-based ingredient at Puratos begins with a commitment to care and respect. We believe that exceptional products start with exceptional ingredients, and that quality is built from the very beginning of the value chain.

For cocoa - the key ingredient of Puratos Grand-Place chocolate - we prioritize sourcing wet beans directly from Vietnam’s major cocoa-growing regions, including Dak Lak, Binh Phuoc, Dong Nai, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, and Ben Tre. From careful selection at origin to fermentation, drying, roasting, and grinding, every step is managed under rigorous standards to preserve the distinctive character and flavor potential of Vietnamese cocoa.

The same commitment extends to vanilla, one of the world’s most valuable natural ingredients. Through direct partnerships with farming communities, we source vanilla that has been cultivated, cured, and processed according to strict quality standards, delivering authentic, refined, and complex flavor profiles across our product portfolio.

Building on the success of Cacao-Trace, Puratos has also introduced Vanilla-Trace to strengthen traceability, create more equitable value sharing for farmers, and ensure ingredient quality from the very start of the supply chain.

Beyond quality, transparency and sustainability remain at the heart of our sourcing approach. Through polygon mapping and land-use monitoring systems, we help ensure that raw materials are produced responsibly and in line with international standards for environmental protection and deforestation prevention.

We believe that when ingredients are respected at their origin, the products not only deliver unique taste but also create lasting value for farmers, communities, and future generations.

“Without farmers, there is no cocoa. Without farmers, there is no vanilla.” - This message was shared by Gricha Safarian, former CEO of Puratos Grand-Place Indochina, during an event organized by the Cocoa Association of Asia 2024.

At Puratos, farmers are not only suppliers of raw materials but also valued partners and the foundation of a sustainable future for both the cocoa and vanilla sectors.

Despite their essential role, farming communities continue to face significant challenges, including price volatility, climate change, crop diseases, and other agricultural risks. That is why Puratos is committed to building long-term partnerships through technical training programs, the promotion of sustainable farming practices, and fair purchasing commitments.

For more than a decade, the Next Generation Cacao Foundation has contributed to the economic, social, and environmental development of farming communities participating in the Cacao-Trace program. In addition to distributing direct financial rewards to farmers, the Foundation invests in community projects focused on education and healthcare. Today, this approach is being expanded through pilot initiatives supporting vanilla-growing communities in Congo as part of the Vanilla-Trace program.

We believe that business growth can only be truly sustainable when the people who create value alongside us are able to thrive as well. Farmers still remain at the heart of everything we do - trusted partners in shaping a more sustainable future for the food industry, and for the cocoa and vanilla value chains in particular.

Climate change is reshaping every part of the agricultural value chain from farmers and businesses to consumers. At Puratos, we believe that business growth must go hand in hand with protecting the natural ecosystems that sustain it, especially forests, which play a vital role in maintaining environmental balance.

Since 2019, Puratos has partnered with PUR Project to promote agroforestry by integrating cacao cultivation with shade trees and fruit trees. To date, more than 1 million trees have been planted across Puratos' cacao sourcing regions worldwide, helping increase carbon sequestration while strengthening ecosystem resilience against the impacts of climate change.

At the same time, Puratos supports nature conservation through its partnership with Virunga National Park and the Virunga Foundation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, contributing to the protection of one of the world's most biodiverse tropical forest ecosystems.

Our commitment is also reflected in our climate goals, which are aligned with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). Within our cacao value chain, Puratos aims to reduce CO₂ emissions by 30% by 2030 through the adoption of sustainable farming practices and the continued expansion of agroforestry systems.

As Gricha Safarian, former CEO of Puratos Grand-Place, once shared, a truly sustainable business recognizes the full value of natural resources including soil, water, and air in every business decision. This principle is reflected in Puratos' commitment to sourcing 100% of its cacao beans in Vietnam from non-forest land, in line with the requirements of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).

We recognize that profitability is essential for business success. But we also believe that long-term growth is only meaningful when it is built on respect for nature and a shared responsibility toward future generations.

Fruit, Farmer and Forest are the three pillars at the heart of Puratos' sustainability philosophy. When ingredients are valued from their origin, farmers are empowered, and nature is protected, we can create products of exceptional quality while building a transparent and sustainable value chain that generates lasting value for communities, customers, and future generations.