Hershey’s to invest in sustainable cocoa strategy

Confectionery giant Hershey’s is planning to invest in a sustainable cocoa strategy worth $500m to be rolled out over the next 12 years.

The aim of the Cocoa For Good project is to address key challenges facing the industry, namely poverty, labour abuses and deforestation in cocoa-growing communities. The scheme has the potential to impact thousands of farmers worldwide, with a special focus on West Africa, where around 70% of cocoa is cultivated.

Hershey’s strategy identifies four key areas to prioritise–Nourishing Children, Elevating Youth, Prospering Communities, and Preserving Ecosystems.

Under these four headings, the company lists certain aims, including giving families access to good nutrition, eliminating child labour and increasing youth education, increasing household incomes for men and women, and developing agroforestry to mitigate deforestation.

Hershey’s chief procurement officer Susanna Zhu said: “A sustainable cocoa supply depends on a multi-stakeholder collaborative approach to find solutions to the social, environmental and economic challenges facing cocoa-growing communities. Under​ ​Cocoa For Good​, we continue to work toward a future where there’s a long-term, sustainable cocoa supply, the natural environment is protected, and we are creating better lives for everyone. It’s good for the cocoa farmers, families, communities, chocolate consumers and the success of our business.” ​​

The chocolate giant hopes to track the progress of the Cocoa For Good scheme using key performance indicators (KPI) across the four areas.

Hershey’s senior director of sustainability, corporate social responsibility and social innovation Jeff King told ConfectioneryNews: “We will provide progress against these KPIs yearly on our Cocoa For Good website, along with stories and updates about what we have learned as we execute our Cocoa For Good projects.

​“We have been executing a number of programmes and initiatives to support cocoa communities for decades, with our most recent programmes being our Learn to Grow farmer training programme, our CocoaLink mobile phone technology programme and transitioning to certified and sustainable cocoa over the past five years.”​

In response, Côte D’Ivoire Vice-President Daniel Kablan Duncan praised Hershey’s cooperation with his nation’s cocoa industry, saying:  “Cocoa is a tremendous part of the livelihoods for the people of Côte D’Ivoire and public-private partnerships are critical to improving the lives of people living in cocoa communities and protecting our precious natural resources. We value our partnership with The Hershey Company and look forward to working together to bring about the meaningful change that this new investment will catalyse.”

One Ghanaian cocoa farmer, Owuse Prempeh, has been collaborating with Hershey’s for the last five years, receiving training and support to increase her yields each year.

“I have sold cocoa to many companies, but I have not benefitted from them like I have with Hershey. The trainings have increased productivity on my farm, especially with the extensive pruning of my cocoa trees. I am grateful to Hershey for the premiums they paid to us. We used part of our premium to purchase school uniforms, school bags, books and other school accessories to support school children in the community,” she commented.

Hershey’s exceeded its target of producing 75% certified and sustainable cocoa last year and hopes to increase this proportion to 100% by 2020.