Every year, Côte d’Ivoire holds National Chocolate and Cocoa Day to honour Cocoa farmers and promote the importance of the Cocoa sector to the country’s economy.
This year, the annual celebrations were organised by Côte d’Ivoire’s coffee and Cocoa regulator, the Conseil du Cafe-Cacao, with support from Hershey’s.
The event took place in Abidjan and served not only to raise awareness of the Cocoa sector but also to highlight business opportunities related to the local processing of Cocoa, such as artisanal chocolate production.
Our partnerships in Cote d’Ivoire are some of the most pivotal in our global supply chain.
Tricia Brannigan, Vice President, Chief Procurement Officer, Hershey’s
I’ve had the opportunity this week to meet with government leaders, our supply partners as well as development experts and cocoa-farming families in their communities. I couldn’t be prouder of the collaboration across these stakeholders, culminating in today’s event celebrating the cocoa sector and Côte d’Ivoire’s talented artisanal chocolatiers.”
The country’s Cocoa farms have been fortunate in recent weather conditions. Above-average-average rainfall and abundant sunshine have improved the quality of the beans for the main harvest from October to March.
Hershey’s executives spent a week meeting with partners, Cocoa farmers and government officials, and ended their trip by attending the National Chocolate and Cocoa Day celebrations.
Hershey’s has committed to investing $500 million in Cocoa-growing regions in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana by 2030 as part of its sustainable Cocoa strategy – Cocoa For Good.
Multi-stakeholder collaboration is the key to continued progress in cocoa. In partnership with Cote d’Ivoire’s leadership, NGOs, peers in the cocoa sector and cocoa-growing communities, we aim to create long-lasting impact and mutual success.
Leigh Horner, Vice President of Global Sustainability, Hershey’s
