Puratos Grand-Place Vietnam honored in the Top 50 Corporate Sustainability Awards 2026 for the fourth consecutive year

This year’s program honored 50 outstanding companies, including 20 foreign-invested enterprises (FDIs), assessed across 16 categories covering the three pillars of sustainable development: Environment, Society, and Governance (ESG).

Despite a challenging year for the cocoa industry in 2025, marked by supply constraints and increasing pressure on maintaining raw material quality in several producing countries, Puratos continued to see encouraging progress. Investments made during 2023–2024 in program expansion and digital transformation have started to yield measurable results.

At the heart of Puratos Grand-Place’s sustainability strategy is Cacao-Trace, a sustainable cocoa sourcing and development program currently active in 10 cocoa-producing countries and positively impacting more than 31,795 farmers worldwide.

Cacao-Trace focuses on cocoa bean quality from harvest. Beans are processed at Post-Harvest Centers, where fermentation is carefully managed by experts and combined with sun-drying techniques to develop the full flavor potential of the cocoa. The beans then undergo a slow-roasting process at low temperatures to reveal their unique aromatic complexity. Beyond ensuring transparency and traceability throughout the supply chain, direct management of these critical stages enables Puratos to produce cocoa with superior flavor quality, forming the foundation of premium chocolate products.

One of the program’s unique innovations is 60DAYS which marks a breakthrough in streamlining production to just 60 days, demonstrating Puratos’ ability to manage the entire value chain from farm to final chocolate.

For customers, Cacao-Trace offers a sustainable business model that responds to growing consumer expectations around transparency and social responsibility. Customers benefit from superior chocolate taste, premium-quality ingredients, full traceability, and a meaningful impact story that directly supports farming communities. For final consumers, Cacao-Trace provides confidence that every purchase contributes to more sustainable agricultural practices.

Puratos Grand-Place believes that farmers should directly benefit from the value they help create while contributing to a more sustainable future for communities and the planet. For every kilogram of Cacao-Trace chocolate sold, 10 euro cents are given back to the Chocolate Bonus. In 2025, the global Chocolate Bonus reached €3.4 million.

In Vietnam alone, €98,639 was distributed to 1,467 farmers across the Central Highlands, Southeast Region, and Mekong Delta under the independent supervision of Deloitte.

Beyond financial rewards, the Cacao-Trace Vietnam team provides practical training programs covering pest management, cocoa pruning techniques, safe pesticide use, and compliance with regulations on prohibited substances.

Nature is the foundation upon which all economic activity depends. Through partnerships with GIZ and PUR Project, Cacao-Trace promotes agroforestry, regenerative agriculture, and biodiversity restoration across cocoa-growing regions.

In 2025, the PUR Project distributed more than 14,139 shade trees and 7,150 cocoa trees, achieving a survival rate of 93.5%. At the same time, the collaboration with GIZ established eight regenerative agriculture demonstration farms, enabling farmers to adopt sustainable farming practices through hands-on experience.

As a recent signatory of the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), Puratos has expanded its focus beyond tree planting to actively managing and reducing its Scope 3 carbon footprint. To date, more than one million trees have been planted through the company’s programs, creating long-term carbon sinks and strengthening climate resilience. Puratos has committed to reducing CO₂ emissions from cocoa production by 30% by 2030, with 19% of the reduction coming from sustainable farming practices and 11% from agroforestry initiatives.

In Vietnam, Puratos Grand-Place is also a co-founder of Cocoa Valley, a sustainable cocoa development initiative established together with research and educational partners. The project aims to become a comprehensive innovation hub for the future of Vietnam’s cocoa sector by integrating scientific research, field development, farmer training, and a specialized academic program in Crop Science focused on cocoa production. The initiative aims to nurture a new generation of cocoa experts capable of elevating Vietnamese cocoa within the global value chain. Its long-term ambition is to help position cocoa as one of Vietnam’s key agricultural crops and increase national cocoa production from 3,500 tons of dried beans to 20,000 tons by 2035.

Alongside its efforts to build sustainable supply chains, Puratos Grand-Place Vietnam is committed to creating positive social impact through Bakery School Vietnam.

Funded and operated by the Bakery School Foundation, Bakery School Vietnam is the 11th school in a network of 14 schools across 12 countries worldwide. The program provides free vocational education for disadvantaged young people, equipping them with professional skills and career opportunities in bakery, pastry, and chocolate.

Beyond technical expertise, students receive training in soft skills, professional workplace behavior, and personal development to help them successfully integrate into modern working environments. The school is committed to providing equal opportunities regardless of gender, background, or nationality.

After more than two years of operation, Bakery School Vietnam has delivered encouraging results. The first batch (2023–2025) graduated 19 students and achieved a 100% employment rate, with graduates working in Vietnam as well as international markets including Taiwan, Australia, and Belgium. The second batch (2024–2026), consisting of 16 students, has also secured a 100% employment commitment upon graduation. Meanwhile, the newly enrolled 2026–2028 batch welcomes 26 students, including 22 Vietnamese and 4 Cambodian students, fostering a diverse and inclusive learning environment across the region.

A significant milestone for the project was the visit of Their Majesties King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium to Bakery School Vietnam. The visit recognized not only the school’s contribution to vocational education but also its role in empowering disadvantaged youth through education—a key driver of social equity and sustainable development.

Globally, the Bakery School Foundation recorded 480 applications and 166 graduates in 2025. By 2030, the foundation aims to expand its network to 20 schools and welcome 1,000 new students annually.

Being recognized among Vietnam’s Top 50 Corporate Sustainability Awards for the fourth consecutive year reflects the consistency and long-term vision behind Puratos Grand-Place Vietnam’s sustainability strategy. The company’s recognition in the categories of “Optimize The Use Of Sustainable Materials” and “Leading Social Integration” reinforces Puratos’ belief that business growth can only be truly sustainable when it is accompanied by environmental stewardship and social responsibility.

Looking ahead, Puratos Grand-Place Vietnam will continue to expand its ESG initiatives with a focus on creating measurable impact, contributing to a more sustainable food industry where product quality, farmer livelihoods, opportunities for future generations, and community development advance together on a shared journey of long-term growth.