Barry Callebaut and Biolands to Replicate Tested Smallholder Cocoa Program

16/04/08 Barry Callebaut, the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality cocoa and chocolate products, has acquired a 49% stake in Biolands, Africa’s largest exporter of certified organic cocoa based in Tanzania, after purchasing 100% of Biolands’ top-grade cocoa for the past eight years.

The Biolands enterprise is one of the largest organic smallholder cocoa programs in the world. Starting in Tanzania in 1999, Biolands has applied a bottom-up cooperation model, working directly with smallholder farmers to ensure fair prices are paid to the farmers and to improve the quality of cocoa and the farmers’ quality of life. This approach guarantees full traceability for every bag of cocoa sold by the 20,000 participating farmers, enabling consumers to know this cocoa has been produced in a sustainable and responsible manner. Biolands cocoa is certified organic by Swiss-based Institute for Marketecology IMO, one of the most renowned international agencies for inspection, certification and quality assurance of eco-friendly products.

Through a bean collection system reaching the villages, farmers are paid directly at delivery. A second payment is made after the season. In addition to providing training in cocoa growing, technical advice and supplies, Biolands has supplied more than 600,000 cocoa seedlings to help improve farms.

“For many farmers, this is the first time they are being treated seriously as partners – as partners who are expected to produce a good product in return for a better price. They feel that their cocoa and their work are valued,” says Eric Smeets, founder and managing director of Biolands. “Without Barry Callebaut’s steadfast commitment to buy cocoa from us at a fair price, we wouldn’t have been able to achieve our mission, which is to empower local farmers.”

“Biolands’ proven track-record based on the direct involvement of cocoa farmers has convinced us to strengthen our relationship,” adds Patrick De Maeseneire, CEO of Barry Callebaut. “Biolands will now replicate their concept in other countries. In our own project in Ivory Coast called ‘Quality Partner’ program we work top-down, i.e. through farmer cooperatives. We intend to test the two models in the field – with the goal to contribute to a sustainable cocoa industry and improve the livelihoods of cocoa farmers and their families in the most effective way.”