Cocoa farmers take matters into their own hands!

Chocolate, The factory, Cacao origins, Chocolatemakers, Norandino, our farmers

On 31 May, the farmers' cooperative Norandino, in cooperation with Chocolatemakers, opened an organic cocoa processing plant in Piura, in the north of Peru. opened an organic cocoa processing plant in Piura, northern Peru.

Since 2011, Chocolatemakers has worked directly with the Norandino farmers' cooperative, where a cocoa farmer earns a fair price for cocoa beans. Together, they built a chocolate factory where the cocoa farmer is truly part of the cocoa industry. The goal? By 2024, Norandino will be a leader in cocoa production and in the marketing of high-quality, refined cocoa. The 'Norandino chocolate factory' brings cocoa to the market which is not only tasty and organic, but also makes a statement.

Chocolatemakers is working hard for change in the cocoa industry. Their mission is to build a fully sustainable cocoa chain by working directly with farmers (cooperatives), businesses (retail) and consumers. In this way, they show and experience that an alternative cocoa chain contributes to better chocolate and a better world. "The great advantage is that the farmers have the production of cocoa mass in their own hands.

It is truly their factory and that is unique," says Rodney Nikkels, who founded Chocolatemakers with Enver Loke in 2011. "This development in the cooperation with Norandino is a next step in fair distribution within the cocoa industry and more independence for the cocoa farmer, the next step is that they will also produce the chocolate themselves". Cocoa farmers are extremely dependent on their cocoa beans and the price on the world market. In recent years the minimum price for cocoa has hardly increased. José Fernando Reyes Cordova, Norandino's chief financial officer: "With a cocoa mass processing plant, we can improve the price and position ourselves in the global cocoa market. The plant can produce between 3,000 and 5,000 tonnes of cocoa mass per year for the export market in the west - and within five years also serve the regional market in South America. The ambitions of Norandino's Peruvian managers are great. Santiago Paz Lopez, general manager: "By 2024 we want the Norandino farmers' cooperative to be a leader in cocoa production and in marketing high-quality, refined cocoa liquor.

From left to right: Rodney Nikkels (Chocolatemakers), Klaas Kniest (Wiener Duyvis), Santiago Paz Lopez (Norandino) & Huub Keulen (Representative Rabobank Foundation) at the opening of the new factory

The 'Norandino chocolate factory' in Peru, is largely owned by the Norandino farmers' cooperative and for a limited part by the Dutch organic chocolate brand Chocolatemakers. The project is made possible by Rabobank Foundation, Stichting Doen and the Private Sector Investment Program (PSI). Wiener Duyvis is responsible for the machinery in the Peruvian chocolate factory.

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Chocolatemakers and Norandino: a true and genuine partnership in the cocoa industry

Since their establishment in 2011, Chocolatemakers and Noradino have been working towards their shared mission of providing a serious future for Peru's cocoa rich region, a region where high quality cocoa species are found. On the one hand by improving production in the Amazon rainforest, on the other hand by providing farmers with a better income through their own factory.

Chocolatemakers puts development first and looks for adventure: "We help them with knowledge, quality and machines so that they can learn and do the process themselves," says Rodney. José Fernando adds: "We share exactly the same principles and vision of small-scale farming and developing a sustainable relationship with the indigenous people, also known as the Awajun Indians."

The fact that Chocolatemakers sources its cocoa from Peru directly from the farmers (cooperative) and then markets it as 'the Awajun bar' says enough about how genuine the cooperation is. The cocoa in this bar is grown by the Awajún ('Awagoen') Indians in the Amazon rainforest in Peru. A strong chocolate in the dark milk (52% cocoa) and dark (80% cocoa) varieties.

Chocolatemakers; adventurous chocolate with impact

Chocolatemakers' mission is to build a fully sustainable alternative cocoa chain through direct cooperation with farmers (cooperatives), businesses (retail) and consumers in order to show and experience that the cocoa chain contributes to better chocolate and a better world.

Chocolatemakers makes the chocolate from bean to bar in their own factory in Amsterdam. The chocolate is made with 'single origin' beans by working with farmers in three locations around the world. Each of the three product lines also has its own story and mission to make even more of an impact.

• In Peru, Chocolatemakers is working together on projects to improve soil quality and is building a local factory to help farmers earn a better income.
• From the Dominican Republic, the bars are transported by sailing ship to the Netherlands, where they are processed into strong chocolate.
• In Congo Chocolatemakers contributes to the preservation of Virunga National Park, the habitat of the mountain gorillas. The cocoa provides the residents with an income so that they do not threaten the gorillas' habitat through logging and agriculture.

The chocolate is made according to our own recipe to which as little sugar as possible is added. The bars, available in 7 varieties, therefore have a unique powerful taste. The products are available at Ekoplaza, Marqt, Holland & Barrett and other (eko) shops throughout the Netherlands.

In the autumn, Chocolatemakers will open the world's most sustainable chocolate factory in Amsterdam West, at Radarweg 32a. Norandino is also involved in the factory in Amsterdam.

More information via www.chocolatemakers.nl
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