Press Release: Organic brand Chocolatemakers raises €1.5 million growth money for expansion into Germany

Chocolate Makers, Living Income, Organic, Transportation

Organic brand Chocolatemakers raises €1.5 million growth money for expansion into Germany

Amsterdam, June 4, 2024 - For more than a decade, Chocolatemakers has been crafting organic, fair trade chocolate that protects and restores our planet piece by piece. With an investment from existing impact investor DOEN Participaties and new investor Fair Capital Partners Impact Investing, Chocolatemakers can expand, including into Germany. This will allow the company to make even more necessary changes for cocoa farmers, the climate and biodiversity.

Chocolatemakers makes 100% organic and fair trade chocolate, and owns the entire production chain. The organic chocolate is sustainably produced in a CO2 neutral "bean to bar" chain, working directly with farmers who earn a living wage. Managing the entire chain results in an organic chocolate with a wonderful taste. A taste now appreciated by many, becoming aware, consumers. Meanwhile Chocolatemakers has an extensive assortment, including vegan chocolate and chocolate letters. Their chocolate is available at organic supermarkets such as Ekoplaza, Odin, Crisp and through their own webshop.

Expansion into Germany

DOEN Participations, the investment fund of the DOEN Foundation, has been a shareholder of Chocolatemakers since 2015. The investment made at the time was used to help make the current factory in Amsterdam possible. This new investment, with investor Fair Capital Partners Impact Investing also joining in, will allow Chocolatemakers to expand into Germany, among other countries. With this expansion, Chocolatemakers can continue to grow and make organic chocolate the new standard in the chocolate category, making even more of an impact.

Merijn ten Thije, Impact Investing Principal DOEN Participations: "Chocolatemakers is unique and shows that things can and must be done differently! Organizing the entire chain differently, to the benefit of the farmer, biodiversity and the climate. We therefore gladly support this from DOEN Participations."

At Chocolatemakers, they are looking forward to the new plans. "We have set up a business operation that at its core is incredibly simple and therefore so impactful: with every bar sold, we increase our positive impact for farmers, the climate and biodiversity. Every bar directly helps protect the rainforest in the origin countries, and provides a livelihood for the cocoa farmers. This is the most positive way to grow and we are happyabout it," said Rodney Nikkels, founder of Chocolatemakers.

For farmers, climate and biodiversity

Chocolatemakers pays cocoa farmers a living wage and ensures they are educated and trained. The cocoa is produced free of slave and child labor. The cocoa beans arrive in the Netherlands partly emission-free, on the sailing ship Tres Hombres. Once they arrive in Amsterdam, Chocolatemakers turns them into delicious organic chocolate in their own chocolate factory. The roof consists entirely of solar panels. The processing and packaging of the chocolate is CO2 neutral. Chocolatemakers works waste-free and the packaging is completely compostable. In the six countries where they source their cocoa, Chocolatemakers works with farmer cooperatives on land and nature restoration.