Fairtrade social enterprise Divine Chocolate has won B Corp certification after meeting a range of social and environmental standards.
The company, co-owned by its cocoa farmers, also had to demonstrate accountability and transparency, and to show commitment to ongoing development of these standards.
New recruit Divine Chocolate blazed a trail in its industry by ensuring all of its products carry the Fairtrade Mark – which means sourcing as many Fairtrade ingredients as possible, such as sugar and vanilla.
Its producers include Kuapa Kokoo, a co-op of more 85,000 cocoa farmers in Ghana who receive the Fairtrade premium on the sale of their beans and also the largest share – 44% – of Divine’s distributable profits.
Divine Chocolate invests 2% of its gross revenue in producer support and development projects, and its chocolate is GMO and palm oil free.
Related: More opportunities for farmers through Fairtrade Sourcing Programs
“We remain 100% committed to Fairtrade and the social enterprise movement,” added Ms Tranchelle. “We see B Corp certification as a demonstration that these values run throughout our business, and we believe that it is part of our leadership role to embrace systems that drive businesses to behave better and empower consumers to make informed choices.”
Divine Chocolate says it will champion Certified B Corps in the UK and in the USA and is looking forward to “the mutually rewarding partnerships certification will bring”.
It will work with the network as it “collectively aims to push for fairer and more sustainable business policy and trade deals”.
