Where do you source the cocoa used in your Oat Chocolate? Is it Fairtrade?
We use Fairtrade Cocoa for our Oat Chocolate and our supplier works with 18 co-operatives of small-scale, organic family farmers in 9 different countries: the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, Paraguay, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, Guatemala, and Madagascar. Our cocoa is Fairtrade certified under the Fairtrade International certification system, a non-profit organization promoting fair trade to improve communities of family farmers. Our supplier is also regularly audited as part of the certification requirements.
Additionally, to ensure a fair deal for the family farmers, our cocoa supplier takes the following steps:
- Guaranteeing fair prices to family farmers;
- Paying premiums to improve social conditions in communities of family farmers;
- Paying family farmers in advance to assist in long-term planning and pre-harvest financing;
- Supporting democratic participation in farmer-owned co-operatives;
- Ensuring that there is no forced labour; and supporting sustainable farming practices.