Jamie Hartzell has joined Divine Chocolate as the chair of the board. A keen supporter of Fairtrade, Mr Hartzell previously produced television documentaries on international development issues.
He is also chair of the Palestinian fair trade food importer Zaytoun and founder of the Ethical Property Company and the positive investment marketplace Ethex.
“I’m thrilled to be appointed chair of Divine, it brings together two of my greatest passions – top quality chocolate and tackling global inequality. What could be better? Divine has carried Fairtrade so far forward since it was first founded 14 years ago. I’m looking forward to the challenge of taking that journey further,” said Mr Hartzell.
Divine Chocolate is the only Fairtrade company co-owned by cocoa farmers. A pioneer of the Fairtrade movement, the company has been a catalyst for change in the chocolate industry.
Sophi Tranchell, managing director of Divine Chocolate thinks the appointment of Jamie Hartzell is a great plus for the company.
“Our board is there to ensure that we deliver on our mission, they have the expertise and experience to guide Divine’s continued growth and ensure it continues to deliver a real impact for the farmers that own us. I am looking forward to working with Jamie – he will be an exciting addition to the Divine team, steering us through the next step of our journey,” she said.
Jamie Hartzell will be replacing Patrick Fleming, who has been chair of Divine for three years after being on its board for five years. Divine was established in 1998, when the members of Kuapa Kokoo farmers’ co-operative voted at their AGM to set up their own chocolate company. As one of the co-owners of Divine Chocolate, Kuapa Kokoo, a co-operative of 65,000 cocoa farmers in Ghana receive a 45% share of Divine’s distributable profits.
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