ISM Awards 2020: Cémoi Group exec takes transparency accolade

03 Feb 2020 --- In recognition of independent French family group Cémoi’s ethical and sustainable cocoa supply chain program, CEO Patrick Poirrier received the ISM Award at the ongoing ISM Cologne trade show (February 2 to 5) in Germany. Poirrier clenched the honors through Cémoi’s Transparence Cacao (Cocoa Transparency) program. This strives to provide quality chocolate products based on strict criteria of cocoa traceability, aromatic quality as well as quality of life for both the planter and preservation of the environment.

“This award is important to us because the whole chocolate world can now see the passion we bring to sustainable engagement in the supply chain,” Antoine Resk Diomande, Corporate and Social Responsibility Head tells FoodIngredientsFirst.

Transparence Cacao was launched in 2015 in collaboration with NGO agronomists and state departments for development. It builds off of more than 20 years of the company’s focus on sustainable development with various programs to protect the people and the environment involved in chocolate production.

Recognition of Poirrier comes during the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the brand. “As a family company, we always think – what will it be like for the next generation? We want to be fully sustainable and have a long-term policy that achieves that,” says Poirrier.

Cémoi works directly in the field, in contact with planters in order to support them to produce sustainably in all the territories where the company sources its product: Madagascar, Sao Tome, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominican Republic, Ecuador and Peru. Targeted action plans are deployed in partnership with local cooperatives to obtain cocoa in the best conditions. The program aims to improve the living conditions of local communities while increasing biodiversity and fighting deforestation.

Traceability is increasingly important for global cocoa suppliers.Resk Diomande, notes that the company’s long history of more than a century in the cocoa industry has made active engagement in the supply chain a challenge. “We innovate every year to try to make a more sustainable product. Now the hard work done by our 3,300 employees around the world is recognized,” he concludes.

Strides towards sustainable cocoa
Under pressure from consumer interest in a transparent global cocoa supply chain, heavyweights across the chocolate sector have made moves towards ramping up the traceability of their products. Cargill recently invested US$113 million in gathering data and monitoring technology solutions at cocoa processing sites in West Africa.

Last year, Tradin Organic released its first cocoa sustainability report, which summarized the Netherlands-based ingredient provider’s past milestones and plans for the future. The company highlights its Sierra Leone Farmer Field School project, its Fairtrade expansion and its new production line installation.

Meanwhile, Barry Callebaut’s “Forever Chocolate” scheme was named the number one sustainability strategy in the packaged foods industry, according to data from research and analysis firm Sustainalytics’ annual assessment. The summary reported on 178 packaged food companies on the management of environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks in their supply chains. In terms of companies in the packaged foods subindustry, 47 percent are deemed to have a severe ESG risk, while 43 percent have a high risk.

By Missy Green, reporting from ISM 2020 in Cologne