For the past two years, discount supermarket chain Aldi has been offering fair trade and sustainable chocolate under the brand ‘Choceur Choco Changer’, a range created through a collaboration between the supermarket chain and the Tony’s Open Chain supply chain.
At the beginning of spring 2022, Aldi introduced a new range of chocolate bars called ‘Choceur Choco Changer’ to its permanent assortment, available in three different flavours (milk chocolate salt/caramel, white chocolate pistachio/raspberry and dark chocolate 70%) and priced at less than €2 for 150g. The German discounter also guarantees that its chocolate is 100% sustainable, fair trade and made from traceable cocoa beans. ‘Choceur Choco Changer is the result of a collaboration between Aldi and Tony’s Open Chain’, explains Louis Van Den Bossche, corporate responsibility specialist at Aldi’s Belgian subsidiary. It is an initiative launched by Dutch chocolate brand Tony’s Chocolonely, which Aldi joined as the world’s leading discounter in 2021, to help fight the (many) problems that plague the cocoa industry, such as illegal child labour, poverty, deforestation and inequality.
Tony’s open chain
‘In 2012, Tony’s Chocolonely began buying cocoa for its own products directly from two partner cooperatives in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire,’ continues Louis Van Den Bossche. Since then, the company has grown to 11 partner cooperatives from which it buys cocoa based on five sourcing principles aimed at driving systemic change and ending exploitation in the cocoa sector. But to achieve its mission, Tony’s also wants to work with other brands. In fact, the greater the amount of cocoa beans purchased according to the five principles, the greater the structural change in the chain can be, which is why Tony’s Open Chain was created in 2018-2019’. What does that mean in practice? ‘It means that partners in the initiative will be able to source cocoa beans from Tony’s partner cooperatives on the basis of the five principles and then use this cocoa to make their own products, as is the case with the Choco Changer’.
Five key principles
What exactly are the five sourcing principles? ‘Firstly, all the cocoa beans in Tony’s Open Chain are 100% traceable and come directly from the Dutch brand’s partner cooperatives. This means we know where the beans are grown and under what conditions’, says Aldi Belgium’s Corporate Responsibility Specialist, adding that traceability and farm mapping are particularly useful in preventing deforestation and ensuring compliance with legislation. The second principle of Tony’s Open Chain is a higher price for the cocoa farmers’, continues Louis Van Den Bossche, adding that the beans (and other ingredients) also carry the Fairtrade label. ‘In addition, cocoa farmers receive an extra premium for each kilo of cocoa beans sold, on top of the Fairtrade premium. This is calculated by Fairtrade using its LIRP (Fairtrade Living Income Reference Prices) indicator. The partners in the initiative remit the amount of this premium to Tony’s, who then pays the money back to the cooperatives. This approach therefore enables farmers who choose to join Tony’s Open Chain to earn at least a subsistence income.
The third principle is to offer farmers prospects for the future. ‘Aldi makes long-term commitments over a number of years, giving farmers income security and the opportunity to invest in their business’, explains Louis Van Den Bossche. ‘In addition, the planning and forecasting process for the Choco Changer takes place early in the year to give the cooperatives more security’. The fourth objective is to strengthen producers and promote their autonomy by supporting cooperatives. ‘Tony’s Open Chain is about the way business is done, not specifically about implementing development projects. However, it is important to stress that this includes the implementation of several initiatives in collaboration with partner cooperatives. These include support for farmers, an agroforestry policy and a very strict system for monitoring working conditions. Promoting agroforestry is beneficial for sustainable agriculture, tree health, soil quality, resistance to extreme weather conditions, etc. It is also a positive factor because it strengthens controls on unacceptable working conditions’. The final principle is based on improved productivity and quality. This is why Aldi is helping farmers to improve their yields through Tony’s Open Chain training and investment, as well as access to markets.
Results, limits, consumers
Louis Van Den Bossche and Aldi can congratulate themselves on the fact that Choco Changer chocolate benefits from 100% operational traceability of cocoa beans, an increase of 50 to 60% in household incomes linked to partner cooperatives, tighter controls on unacceptable working conditions and incentives for agroforestry practices. However, the corporate responsibility specialist acknowledges that the value chain is not a panacea. ‘We enable farmers to achieve a decent standard of living by providing them with a subsistence or livelihood income. But that’s only one aspect, because income also depends on yields, other farm incomes and so on. This means that we are dependent on other factors’. Louis Van Den Bossche concludes: ‘We need to sit down with cooperatives, suppliers, retailers, politicians, etc. to find a solution to this problem. The Beyond Chocolate initiative is a good example. The more we learn from each other, the more we can improve things. It’s also important to raise consumer awareness. If more people want to buy sustainable cocoa, more supply chains will become sustainable’. With the aim of achieving a 100% sustainable cocoa industry one day? ‘It’s certainly a big challenge. But it is conceivable if all the factors are right and all the parties in the chain work closely together’.
