juni 28, 2017 4:30 pm
Gepubliceerd door Cocoanect
During the annual conference of the green business organization De Groene Zaak in the Netherlands on June 27th, Cocoanect, Eneco, Essent and Tarkett signed a cooperation agreement to jointly invest in forest management and sustainable agriculture in the tropics based on ‘REDD+’ and form the REDD+ Business Initiative.
REDD+ is a UN instrument for the controlled conservation and sustainable management of forests. The companies work closely together with the Dutch Development Bank FMO and Ecosphere+, part of the Althelia Climate Fund, an investment fund of more than €100 million that is a world leader in this area. Both are also members of the REDD+ Business Initiative, as well as the entrepreneurial organization De Groene Zaak, which forms the bridge for new companies wanting to join. The aim of the initiative is to motivate more companies to invest in REDD+ projects.
We are losing our rainforests at a terrifying rate, together with their wealth of biodiversity. This also means that the huge amount of CO2 that forests store is ending up in the atmosphere and one of the most cost-effective methods of tackling climate change is literally being burned down, along with the valuable ecosystem services they provide.
The members invest in the Tambopata Biodiversity Reserve project in Peru as a signal that companies are willing to work together in the fight against deforestation as one of the main causes of and near-term solutions to climate change, and contribute at the same time to the Sustainable Development Goals and the health of vital ecosystems.
The Tambopata Biodiversity Reserve Project embraces the economic development of local communities as well as environmental protection. In the buffer zones around the park, organic cocoa farming is introduced. By planting newly developed Trinitario fine or flavor varieties, and by using agroforestry techniques with more shade trees a total of 400 smallholder cocoa production jobs will be created. The first chocolate made from this cocoa tasted very promising. We are looking forward to supplying more chocolate makers this fine flavour cocoa in 2018.
Redd+ Business Initiative founding members, from left to right: Jan Willem Beukers (Eneco), Erik van Zadelhoff (RBI/De Groene Zaak), Anne van der Veen (Cocoanect), Marjolein Demmers (De Groene Zaak), Rudi Daelmans (Tarkett), Lucy Arndt (Ecospehere+), Varishna Tewarie (FMO) and Chris Arthers (Essent).
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Our involvement in the REDD+ Business Initiative and the Tambopata Biodiversity Project, are part of Cocoanect’s intent to end deforestation and forest degradation in the global cocoa supply chain, as underlined in the signed Cocoa & Forest Initiative. Other projects include the ProcarBOOH project and Tai National Park project which we currently run in Ivory Coast and which we will soon expand to Ghana.
During the annual conference of the green business organization De Groene Zaak in the Netherlands on June 27th, Cocoanect, Eneco,…
juni 22, 2017 8:13 am
Gepubliceerd door Cocoanect
The London-based Academy of Chocolate was founded in 2005 with a mission to promote and raise awareness for fine cocoa and craft chocolate. One of their main events is the Academy of Chocolate Awards, a highly anticipated yearly event for craft chocolate makers. Among this years’ winners, which were announced on June 19th, we were happy to find many chocolate makers who have used fine cocoa from Haiti, Tanzania, Dominican Republic and Brazil to make their chocolate. With these awards, cocoa farmers, cocoa fermentaries, and chocolate makers receive recognition for their work.
The team at Produits des Iles SA (PISA) in northern-Haiti were pleasantly surprised when they learned the judges from the Academy favored three bars which were made from their beans. Focussing on quality and sustainable development, Gualberto, Adriano and their team have worked hard since 2006 to improve the life of the small-scale farmers they work with. The floral and fruity notes from their cocoa translate well into a chocolate, as the Academy judges confirm. Chocolate makers using cocoa from PISA can be found across the globe: Minimal from Japan, Hogarth Craft Chocolate from New Zealand, and Bullion Chocolate from the UK, were among this years’ winners.
Another fermentary that does incredible work is Kokoa Kamili, in Tanzania. Brian and Simran saw the potential of the Tanzanian cocoa, but also knew that the post-harvesting process would have to be greatly improved. Kokoa Kamili buys the wet cocoa from the farmers in the surrounding villages, and has full control over the fermentation and drying processes. This has led to a higher-quality cocoa, which has quickly earned many fans among chocolate makers and chocolate aficionados. Philip Kaufmann from Original Beans is happy to see the rise of Tanzanian cocoa: “Finally, another excellent fine flavor cacao from Africa is available to craft chocolate makers.”
An impressive list of winners has created chocolate from Kokoa Kamili cocoa. These include Original Beans with their Cru Udzungwa bar, Sirene Chocolate and Letter Press Chocolate from the US, Palette de Bine from Canada and Míšina čokoláda from the Czech Republic.We are very proud that Brian, Simran and their team now get this recognition after many years of hard work, and we are looking forward to introducing even more chocolate makers to this beautiful Tanzanian cocoa.
Okö Caribe, another partner we work with, is the preferred supplier for many craft chocolate makers. Gualberto and Adriano built a fermentary in the San Francisco de Macoris region of the Dominican Republic, where they process the cocoa they buy from a growing number of smallholder farmers. Last year the chocolate that won the prestigious ‘golden bean award’ originated at Okö Caribe, and this year both Pangea chocolate and Potomac chocolate were awarded for their bars made from Okö Caribe cocoa.
In Bahia, Brazil, the team at Fazenda Camboa were honored to see their cocoa got turned into award-winning bars. Rising star in 
the American craft chocolate industry, Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate, picked up an award for their Brazilian bar, as well as newcomer Tadzio Chocolate from London.
From all of us at Cocoanect, we would like to express our heartfelt congratulations to all of the winners.
Learn more about the Fazenda Camboa, Kokoa Kamili, Okö Caribe and PISA in our sourcing reports, or contact our Specialty Cocoa Specialist Mirko Bellocchio: specialtycocoa@cocoanect.com
To see the full list of this years’ winners, visit the page of the Academy of Chocolate Awards.
The London-based Academy of Chocolate was founded in 2005 with a mission to promote and raise awareness for fine cocoa…
juni 16, 2017 8:34 am
Gepubliceerd door Cocoanect
On Thursday the 8th of June, a conference for the national day for clean energy was organized by the Ivorian Alliance for Clean Cooking (CIACC), the governmental agency Interprofessional Fund for Agricultural Research and Consultancy (FIRCA), The National REDD+ platform, and cocoa trading company Cocoanect. Government officials, NGO’s and companies active in the clean energy sector gathered to discuss environmental and health issues related to extensive use of charcoal and firewood in rural areas.
Participants from the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, the Ministry of Energy, the Ministry of Water and Forest, the Agency Conseil Café & Cacao, the African Development Bank, the World Food Program and the Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency joined the conference, as well as local companies BriqueAfrique (briquettes made of bio residue) and Green Ker (producer of Clean Cooking Stoves). Foreign representatives from GIZ Senegal, the Laboratory of Improved Cooking Stoves of IRSAT in Burkina Faso, and Katenekaji from Mali (Producer of Clean Cooking Stoves) were also present.
The use of more efficient cook stoves was one of the key interventions being discussed at the conference. Today, the traditional stone open fires result in big blankets of indoor smoke, causing respiratory infections and the premature death of about 22.000 Ivorians per year. Moreover, the local population largely depends on charcoal and firewood for cooking, which contributes to forest degradation and deforestation. Introducing improved cook stoves may reduce environmental pressure and improve health conditions, in particular for women and children.
Chair of the CIACC, Mr Jibikilayi Honoré underlined the need for cleaner energy: “C’est un problème de développement, c’est un problème social, un problème de santé publique pour lequel tout le pays devrait se lever”.
In 2016, Cocoanect launched the PROCARBOOH initiative in collaboration with CIACC, the FIRCA and the national department of REDD+. The aim of the program is to quantify the potential impact of improved cookstoves and to test different ways of distribution and local production of these cookstoves. In May 2017, a total of 1500 respondents in Abidjan, the Western cocoa region and the Northern cotton region were interviewed for baseline studies.
A working capital investment in local stove manufacturer GreenKer boosted the local production to circa 750 stoves per month and stimulated the development of new prototypes which will be tested in the next couple of months with farmer and urban households.
Cocoanect is integrating the PROCARBOOH initiative with gender and forest conservation programs. A total of 700 households will be targeted in the pilot, after which the project has potential of scaling up with the preferred models for clean cooking stoves. We are looking forward to present the results of these first pilots during the second clean energy conference in Abidjan in October 2017.
On Thursday the 8th of June, a conference for the national day for clean energy was organized by the Ivorian…