When choosing a wholesale chocolate supplier, there are many things to consider—the quality of the chocolate, availability of the product, the cost of goods. The list goes on and on!     

One thing that continues to climb up the list for many companies is whether or not the products are sustainable. Consumers are becoming more aware of what it means to buy and consume sustainable and fair trade products. This has impacted nearly every industry, and sustainability certainly plays a role in the chocolate world, too!

Selling sustainable chocolate signifies that your business is committed to changing the chocolate industry and leaving a positive impact. In fact, choosing sustainable chocolate benefits consumers, businesses, farmers, and even the world at large! So, what does that mean for you and your business? When looking for bulk chocolates for sale online, does sustainability factor into your decision-making? Perhaps after reading this blog about 3 reasons to sell sustainable chocolate, it will!   

1.     Sustainable Chocolate Helps The Environment   

Sustainable chocolate encourages cocoa farmers to be more conscious of their impact on the environment. This is accomplished by regulating the use of pesticides at their disposal, integrating practices that mitigate soil erosion, and prohibiting harsh chemicals.   

When cocoa farmers choose to follow these protocols, they can continue to provide quality crops to their customers without contributing to water contamination or depleting soil nutrients.   

2.     Sustainable Chocolate Helps Pay Farmers What They Are Worth   

Through initiatives like fair trade, cocoa farmers are better compensated for their products. In many cases, cocoa farmers are paid very little for their crops. Some reports state that it can be as little as $0.50 per day.   

When you sell sustainable chocolate, it helps protect farmers by providing compensation for them that is at or above the market price for their products. This can help lift them out of poverty so those farmers and their families can live better lives.   

3.     Sustainable Chocolate Helps To Combat Child Labor   

It is an unfortunate truth, but a large portion of the cocoa produced globally is harvested by children. These children cannot attend school and are often forced to work long hours in harsh environments.   

Sustainable chocolate seeks to combat this problem. The hope is that since farmers are compensated more, it creates less of a need for child labor. There are also inspection programs to check on farm labor practices and help them address the underlying causes of child labor.   

As a wholesale chocolate supplier, we at Weaver Nut Company want to participate and provide sustainable chocolate products for our customers who are looking for bulk chocolates for sale online.   

To that end, one of the companies we have a relationship with is Barry Callebaut. As part of their commitment to sustainable chocolate, Barry Callebaut wants to become a leader in changing the chocolate industry. They seek to make sustainable chocolate the norm and have already started programs to see that become a reality.   

Barry Callebaut’s Forever Chocolate initiative has set four ambitious goals that they hope to accomplish by 2025. These goals will concentrate on what they believe are the largest sustainability obstacles in their supply chain: 

• Help lift more than 500,000 farmers out of poverty. This will be done by helping farmers modernize harvesting, professionalize their farming, increase their income, and various other forms of support. 
• Eliminate child labor from their supply chain. Barry Callebaut started a program that works side by side with the communities where they source their cocoa. By creating strategic partnerships with local government agencies, community planners, teachers, and local religious leaders, the goal is to help these communities develop plans, support children and their families, and end child labor. 
• Reduce their carbon footprint and become carbon forest positive. Barry Callebaut’s Forever Chocolate program started in 2016 and has already reduced its carbon footprint by 17%. They aim to achieve this goal by eliminating deforestation from their supply chain and changing their processing plants to run off renewable energy. 
• Have a product line that only uses 100% sustainable ingredients. This includes all cocoa, dairy, nuts, and coconut products. Barry Callebaut will work together with suppliers that support their goal of sustainability. They will create standards and implement programs that will get them closer to sourcing 100% sustainable ingredients.
  
  There are numerous other benefits of sustainable chocolate, too! We’re glad you have taken the time to read about some of the key points we believe make sustainable chocolate a noble cause. For more information about sustainable chocolate and other products that we carry, feel free to contact us here.