(Source: CNN) – A breakdown of how money is distributed in the cocoa industry
Meet Alphonse, a cocoa bean farmer from The Ivory Coast who has been harvesting cocoa beans his whole life. Yet on The Ivory Coast, manufactured chocolate is very scarce and if you manage to find a bar of chocolate, it will cost you around $2.70 — a third of Alphonse’s daily paycheck. Given these circumstances, many farmers on The Ivory Coast have never tried chocolate before, or even seen what it looks like after it has been picked.
(Source: https://goo.gl/jd8t5V) – The Ivory Coast
For many years, all Alphonse has been doing is delivering his beans from Point A to Point B. When he finally tries chocolate, he is dumbfounded at how good it is, and how he has been missing out all of his life.
This story is shocking because over a third of the world’s cocoa comes from The Ivory Coast, but barely anyone in the country has ever tasted chocolate. The farmers reap almost none of the benefits that chocolate companies earn in this 110 billion dollar a year industry. Sadly, this story is not exceptional or out of the ordinary, it is one of many stories just like it.
While the cocoa bean industry supports 3.5 million people in West Africa alone, it is built on the backs of some of the poorest people on the planet. The low wages are a consequence of the long chocolate making process. Cocoa trees produce around 20-30 cocoa pods each year, with each pod containing around 20-50 cocoa beans. After drying out in the sun and fermenting, these beans lose their bitterness and are sold at the market; from here, the farmer’s job is done. Henceforth, the beans will be bought and sold to a wholesaler, who will then sell the beans in bulk to the companies. Throughout this process, traders, processors, exporters, and manufacturers all demand profit margins, resulting in farmers getting the bare minimum for their beans.
(Source: CNN) – The Process of Making Chocolate
Because of the low wages that farmers are being paid, they must cut costs and use children for free labour. On The Ivory Coast, there are around 800,000 child labourers. This unlawful industry camouflages some of the most deplorable child labour in the world. It will continue for many years because of the limited social mobility in this country. To make matters worse, these children are usually handling machetes and slashing open cocoa pods; a job that is both hazardous and laborious. Additionally, the plantations used are run-down and infected; an unsafe environment for children.
Among the poverty in these countries, there are small but noticeable changes being made. However, for there to be significant changes, the Ivorian government must educate and introduce farmers to more business-minded and efficient practices. In 2012, the government made some small steps for the industry by introducing a better minimum cocoa price for farmers, though this price is hardly sufficient to reduce the number of people in poverty. As well, they must also focus on educating children, as they will become the next generation of farmers and innovators.
(Source: CNN) – Cocoa Pods
Fortunately, many fair trade companies are also gaining momentum and are empowering farmers to grow sustainable cocoa; some of these companies include the Fairtrade Foundation, Rainforest Alliance, and UTZ.
The company Cargill, also has a “Cocoa Promise” that has instituted over 1,200 schools to teach more than 60,000 farmers on efficient and safe farming practices. They also buy 20% of all of the cocoa beans grown in all of The Ivory Coast (do not go through the middlemen).
In reality, the industry will not be receiving a complete facelift because many businesses must keep their shareholders happy and not charitable organizations. The sad truth is that it “pays to keep the poor poor” and these companies will make so much more money with the current system. Funding and supplying resources for these people is much-needed, but not the only thing that has to be done for this industry. These problems of child labour, unfair wages, and strenuous work, are “seen as everybody’s problem, but nobody’s responsibility” and we consumers must do more to help.
Results of Survey with Yorkies
From a survey with Yorkies, all said that they like to eat chocolate and consume it on a regular basis, though only 30 percent were aware if their chocolate was produced ethically. In addition to this, 95 percent of those interviewed said that they care if their chocolate is produced ethically, though shockingly only 10 percent said that they would stop buying chocolate if they knew it was not ethically sourced. What we can take from this is that we must do more to educate people on the cocoa bean industry and on the effects that it has on the people involved in producing chocolate.
The most effective thing we can do, as consumers, is to support brands and companies that ethically source and buy sustainable cocoa. It takes just a few minutes to go onto the Fairtrade website to see which chocolate companies are ethical in their chocolate production. For example, if you want to help farmers like Alphonse, you can reach for a Cadbury bar of chocolate or a Green and Black’s Organic bar. Encourage your friends and family to purchase ethically sourced chocolate, as it makes a huge difference in these farmers lives.
Nestle’s Cocoa Plan: http://www.nestlecocoaplan.com
The Cocoa Initiative: http://www.cocoainitiative.org
Cargill’s Sustainability Promise: https://www.cargill.com/sustainability/cargill-cocoa-promise
Choosing Fairtrade Chocolate: http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/Buying-Fairtrade/Chocolate
Non-Profit Organizations:
The Rainforest Alliance: https://www.rainforest-alliance.org/issues/food
UTZ: https://utz.org/what-we-offer/certification/products-we-certify/cocoa/
World Cocoa Foundation’s CocoaAction: http://www.worldcocoafoundation.org/about-wcf/cocoaaction/