Mondelez International has announced an agreement with the Indonesian Coffee and Cocoa Research Institute (ICCRI) and suppliers Armajaro and Olam to promote sustainable Indonesian cocoa farming, improve cocoa bean quality and support the development of Indonesian cocoa communities.
Indonesia is the third-largest cocoa producer in the world, and the fifth origin country to launch Cocoa Life — Mondelez International's $400 million, 10-year commitment to improve the livelihoods and living conditions of more than 200,000 cocoa farmers and about one million people in cocoa farming communities around the world. Together with its partners, Mondelez International says it aims to develop a long-term, high-quality supply of Indonesian cocoa and strengthen the country's position as a leading producer of sustainable cocoa.
Under Cocoa Life, Mondelez and ICCRI, together with the two suppliers, will apply their resources and expertise to promote better cocoa farming and processing techniques to increase productivity, improving farmer incomes and more effectively managing environmental impacts.
Plans include farmer training in better agricultural practices and better access to cocoa planting materials. Cocoa Life also will organize community meetings where farming families can discuss their needs and create Community Action Plans to achieve specific development outcomes, such as improving health and nutrition education for the community. Mondelez International says Armajaro and Olam will be important partners in helping to deliver the program by sourcing cocoa from Indonesian Cocoa Life communities.
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"A sustainable cocoa supply begins with thriving cocoa communities, and more efficient farming improves farmers' financial security," said Cathy Pieters, Director of Cocoa Life at Mondelez International. "Partnering is key to creating lasting change through our Cocoa Life program. Together with the Indonesian government, our suppliers and other partners, we're empowering cocoa-farming families to create the kind of communities they want to live in, while promoting gender equality."
In July, Mondelez unveiled a new training facility for coffee farmers to promote sustainability and entrepreneurship in Vietnam. The company said it was a major step toward implementing its "Coffee Made Happy" sustainability program, which commits to investing at least $200 million to help one million coffee farming entrepreneurs by 2020.
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Founder & Principal Consultant, Hower Impact
Mike Hower is the founder of Hower Impact — a boutique consultancy delivering best-in-class strategic communication advisory and support for corporate sustainability, ESG and climate tech.
Published Sep 27, 2013 2am EDT / 11pm PDT / 7am BST / 8am CEST