3. FINDING FELLOW TRAVELERS ⌵

Jesse and Kingsley, the President of the ABOCFA Farmers Association, formalize our new partnership with the Taza Chocolate Direct Trade Agreement

In the following conversation, Arjen Boekhold, Chocolate Game Changer at Tony’s Chocolonely, and I discuss ABOCFA, the balance between competition and collaboration, and how we can work together to build a slave-free chocolate industry that is seriously good and fair for all. A sincere thank you to Arjen for chatting with me and sharing his thoughts!

JL: How did Tony's meet ABOCFA? What about the Association convinced you these farmers would make great partners?

AB: Tony’s Chocolonely is crazy about chocolate and serious about people! As such we are always on a search for producers who take their destiny into their own hands. ABOCFA was the first Organic and Fairtrade cacao cooperative in West Africa, but no buyer was interested in buying its cacao. Unfortunately, their story is common; in a world of big choco-giants, farmers are too often price takers and unable to find their way in the international market. Tony’s Chocolonely started a long-term relationship with ABOCFA to show that business can be done differently and in a way whereby we improve together in order to make poverty and child labour history.

AB: I’ve known of Taza for a long time. Many American companies are reluctant to start buying cacao in West Africa. Why did you decide to do so?

JL: I think some US chocolate companies are unaware of the possibilities in West Africa. Before learning about ABOCFA, I know I was! I didn’t think there were good organic options, which for Taza is a must. Similarly, we only work with partners committed to fair labor practices, and as you know, there is the challenge of child and even slave labor in the West African cacao sector. It took lots of research and eventually an in-person visit to Ghana before I felt certain that ABOCFA shared Taza’s values. It also helped to learn that you and your colleagues at Tony’s, a company committed to eradicating slavery from the chocolate industry, have spent nearly a decade working with ABOCFA. In a sense, you helped pave the way in West Africa for us, and together, I hope we can pave the way for many others!

JL: Here we are having this nice conversation, but technically, we're competitors. Why didn't you hang up on me when I called, Arjen?

AB: Tony’s mission is to create a 100% slave-free chocolate industry, and as we say: only together can we make chocolate 100% slave-free. The more companies working on improving the livelihoods of producers, the better. In that sense Taza is a true example of a company with a genuine(!) belief and different way of doing business. Direct relationships for example are key in this.

AB: How about you, Jesse? Do you see Tony’s and Taza as competitors or cho-colleagues?

JL: Both, but I definitely favor “cho-colleagues!” It’s true that many of the same retailers carry our brands. That said, our actual chocolate is quite different in taste and texture. Most importantly, when you look at our combined sales, we’re a drop in the bucket compared to the big chocolate companies that are more interested in profits than fair relationships with cacao farmers. In this sense, any “competitor” that shares our commitment to a chocolate industry that is seriously good and fair for all is also a partner. As a leader in educating consumers and changing the industry, Tony’s certainly qualifies!

JL: Based on your experience, how can you see Taza adding value to ABOCFA and this supply chain?

AB: First and foremost, the more customers of ABOCFA cacao the better! Second of all, Taza is truly committed to building long term relationships and that is what is needed for real change. Finally, Taza’s expertise and experience with high quality cocoa can also bring added value to ABOCFA.

AB: What is Taza’s biggest added value for farmers once they supply to Taza?

JL: The most immediate value is the higher-than-Fairtrade prices we pay for cacao. With so many cacao farmers living hand to mouth, higher prices matter. Over time though, it may be other benefits of working with Taza: introductions we make to fellow chocolate makers that help the farmers sell more cacao; exchanges we facilitate between our Direct Trade partners so they can share learnings around quality and sales tactics; and on a fundamental level, the sense of being a respected partner in a relationship where, as our co-founder Alex says, “both farmer and chocolate maker share the reward of making a great product.”

JL: We say it in different ways, but at the end of the day, Taza and Tony's share the vision of  a chocolate industry where everyone prospers, including cacao farmers. Moving forward, how might Tony's and Taza collaborate to achieve this vision?

AB: There are so many opportunities; we both need to inform and motivate consumers to make different choices. By responsible and conscious sourcing from cooperatives in West Africa, we can improve the livelihoods of more farmers and jointly boost our impact. We could, for example, join forces in supporting local education or training initiatives to enable farmers and their children to improve their livelihoods structurally for the better.

JL: Great ideas, Arjen. I hope a year from now, we’ll be talking about some shared successes!