Cargill’s New Specialist Team Strengthens the Drive for Sustainable Cocoa and Chocolate

The team’s efforts will complement the sustainability work already being undertaken by Cargill and focus on further developing in-country farmer training, as well as strengthening Cargill’s offering to customers to meet the growing demand for certified sustainable cocoa and chocolate products.

6/29/2011 --- Cargill’s cocoa and chocolate business has appointed a new specialist team to support the company’s commitment to build a sustainable supply chain for cocoa and chocolate.

The team’s efforts will complement the sustainability work already being undertaken by Cargill and focus on further developing in-country farmer training, as well as strengthening Cargill’s offering to customers to meet the growing demand for certified sustainable cocoa and chocolate products.

The team has been established to manage every step in the sustainable cocoa supply chain from farmer to consumer. In conjunction with colleagues based in Côte d'Ivoire, Vietnam and other origin countries, their work will include expanding Cargill’s sustainability and farmer training programmes, as well as extending activities into other origin countries such as Cameroon, Ghana and Indonesia, where training and certification programmes are being set up.

The Sustainable Cocoa & Chocolate Team is headed by Taco Terheijden, who has worked for Cargill for 11 years and was a member of the start up team for the company’s cocoa processing plant in Tema, Ghana. Commenting on his new role he said: “I am very excited to be heading up this new team, which demonstrates Cargill’s commitment to sustainability. I believe companies like Cargill have an important role to play in driving forward the sustainability agenda to the benefit of all.”

Working alongside Taco are Matthieu Guémas, Project Manager Sustainable Cocoa, and Saskia Samama, Programme Manager Sustainable Cocoa.

Guémas is the driver behind Cargill’s successful Farmer Field Schools, working in close partnership with NGOs and governments and has worked extensively in Côte d’Ivoire. He said: “Working on our farmer training programme means close contact with cocoa farmers, getting to understand their issues and helping them to find solutions.”

Samama’s focus is to connect with customers and provide them with the solutions they need to fulfil their companies’ strategies for sustainable sourcing in the years ahead.
She will also communicate detailed information to customers around the progress of initiatives and the various programmes undertaken by Cargill.

With an increasing demand for certified sustainable cocoa, and a growing market engagement with the development of a sustainable supply chain, Cargill has a long-term commitment to sustainability. The company sees an important partnership role in this for their customers, as partnerships drive mutual growth, benefitting not only the cocoa farmers but also the consumer.