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Schiphol, The Netherlands - February 19, 2015 – Cargill has signed a formal partnership agreement to support Mondelēz International’s Cocoa Life program, which strengthens both companies’ commitment to improving the livelihoods of cocoa farmers and to investing in a sustainable future for cocoa.
Mondelēz International’s Cocoa Life program shares several similarities with Cargill’s own Cocoa Promise program, as each initiative is focused on developing a cocoa supply chain that enables farmers to achieve better living standards, and on delivering a sustainable supply of cocoa and chocolate products. Under this agreement, Cargill Cocoa Promise activities, which include farmer training, community support and farm development, will support Mondelēz International’s goal to reach more than 200,000 farmers in cocoa growing regions and to ultimately source 100 percent of its cocoa from sustainable sources.
“Improving the livelihoods of farmers and the living standards of cocoa growing communities is critical to securing a sustainable future for cocoa,” said Taco Terheijden, Director Sustainable Cocoa, Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate. “Partnering with customers like Mondelēz International ensures benefits flow to farmers and helps to accelerate progress towards a sustainable supply chain, a goal commonly shared by the industry and supported by the World Cocoa Foundation’s CocoaAction strategy.”
Initially the partnership is focusing on activities to support cocoa farmers and communities in West Africa to deliver sustainable cocoa to Mondelēz International, with plans to expand to Indonesia already explored.
“We are pleased to welcome Cargill as a partner in Cocoa Life,” said Cathy Pieters, Mondelēz International’s Cocoa Life Program Director. “A sustainable cocoa supply begins with thriving farming communities, and more efficient farming leads to more empowered farmers making higher incomes. Cargill’s on-the-ground network is a key asset, and they are committed as we are to measuring the real results of their initiatives. Together we can generate a significant impact in these communities and across the industry as a whole.”
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About Cargill
Cargill provides food, agriculture, financial and industrial products and services to the world. Together with farmers, customers, governments and communities, we help people thrive by applying our insights and 150 years of experience. We have 143,000 employees in 67 countries who are committed to feeding the world in a responsible way, reducing environmental impact and improving the communities where we live and work. For more information, visit Cargill.com and our News Center.
About Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate
Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate offers the food industry a wide range of both standard and customised cocoa and chocolate ingredients to be used in delicious bakery, confectionery, and dairy applications all over the world. Our product range includes high quality Gerkens® cocoa powders, chocolate including Wilbur®, Peter’s® and Veliche®, coatings, fillings, cocoa liquors and cocoa butters. With years of experience in technical food expertise Cargill supports its customers in new recipes and new product development.
Our facilities in Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Côte d’Ivoire, France, Germany, Ghana, Inodnesia, the Netherlands, UK and the USA are fully dedicated to produce in accordance with the highest food safety standards.
To secure a good quality and sustainable supply of cocoa beans we have our own cocoa bean sourcing operations for buying, handling and/or exporting of cocoa beans in Brazil, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Indonesia and Vietnam. Presence in all the leading producing countries allows Cargill to oversee the supply chain from beans at origin to cocoa and chocolate products on our customers’ doorstep. In addition, extensive market research and analysis proves to be a source of valuable information to our customers.
The Cargill Cocoa Promise is our commitment to improving the livelihoods of farmers, their families and their communities, and, in doing so, securing a long term supply chain of cocoa. We focus our efforts on three key areas: farmer training, community support and farm development.
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