We believe that we can together improve the quality of life of farmers and fight extreme poverty by committing to these 5 actions.

Our sustainability knowledge has evolved overtime since our launch. You can read below the image how our ideas began and how these have transformed as we got to meet the farming families and built strong relations with them.

2016: MONEY CAN DO EVERYTHING!

#RESPONSIBLECHOCOLATE = WE PAY 15% OVER MARKET PRICE

Just like every entrepreneur, we began with tons of energy but just as much ignorance. We viewed the quality of life problem barely as something financial but we would understand it was a much broader problem in the future. 

2017: MONEY CAN DO EVERYTHING 2.0!

#RESPONSIBLECHOCOLATE = WE PAY 25% OVER MARKET PRICE

 However, that broader and deeper knowledge would not come as quick as you may think. We learnt we could pay even higher prices our second year and so we did, hoping this would trigger a quicker improvement in our results. As you can imagine, this was not enough. Money does no miracles no matter how resilient the entrepreneurs are. 

2018: MONEY CAN DO EVERYTHING! MONEY MAKES NO MIRACLES

#RESPONSIBLECHOCOLATE = PAY HIGHER PRICES AND 4 MORE IMPORTANT ACTIONS

2. Educate and motivate the young farmers.

3. Find and spread the criollo genetics.

4. Produce 100% organic.

5. Transform cacao into healthy products.

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After many hours meditating, thinking and analyzing the life of our farmers and experience their daily routines close to them, we consolidated the 5 action of the #ResponsibleChocolate. We thought we had the golden plan and were so happy about it but these keep evolving today. As we write this blog, we recognize these actions are dynamic and will keep evolving over time and depend on the communities we impact. 

Four new actions entered the #ResponsibleChocolate plan this year but one of them was the most important. We realized the farmers were working way too much to deliver their cacao, were earning more money but needed support. We realized we were not valuing the whole farming family correctly. The leading farmer was just the tip of the iceberg. "Quality of life is not earning more money while you climb with 50kg of cacao up and down a hill all day at 50 years old. Quality of life is having a sustainable, motivating and proactive family team who work together for goals like earning more money and living a happier life".   

Our understanding about our product sustainability also evolved as we realized how much the #ResponsibleChocolate depends on you as a customer. We now understand that making products you fall in love with is the main driver of prosperity for ourselves and our allied small farmers. This is why actions #3, #4 and #5 entered the plan. If we pioneer in the protection and spreading of the finest genetics, make the healthiest products and deliver them in a way you trust the production and manufacturing process, we all will just grow! This is also why we launched our Unroasted chocolate, awarded as Best in America, and were the first Latin company to sell unroasted cacao bars. 

2020-2023: TRULY INDEPENDENT WOMEN AND TRACEABILITY LIKE NO OTHER COMPANY

#RESPONSIBLECHOCOLATE:

1. Pay higher prices, directly to farmers.

2. Educate and motivate the farming family. 

3. Find and spread the criollo genetics.

4. Produce fully traced and 100% organic.

5. Transform cacao into healthy products.

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The biggest realization comes in action #2, where we realized women make a huge impact in rural labour but are not independently recognized for it. Official data tells us 93% of women in rural Colombia do not directly earn money for their labour. We validated this real and hard data and cannot keep trading without doing something about it. 

Buying cacao at the entrance of each farm, directly to the farming family allowed us to see how important women are in the industry, mainly in the crop's maintenance, harvest and post-harvest. However, we always paid directly to men and believed this was "leadership". How crude and ignorant. We realize today our sexist cultural inheritance and recognize we have to be an active brand promoting women independency. This is why we are focused from 2023 onwards on teaching the farming family about the crop's labour cost in order to pay each family member directly and independently for their contribution.

If as a brand, we know how much is the cost to maintain the crop, how much is the cost to harvest the fruit and how much it is to break it and extract the cacao pulp, we can pay each family member for what they did instead of paying the full price to one person and leaving the others dependent of him/her. We believe women and children will flourish with this way to trade. 

Our focus in 2023 is to keep paying higher prices but to do so ensuring each family member earns for the labour done. To keep searching for the best genetics, protect them in our genetic garden and spread them in the future for free, to our farmers. To educate and motivate the whole farming family. And to keep innovating to make the healthiest products in the market.