Fairtrade Cadbury Dairy Milk goes global as Canada, Australia and New Zealand take Fairtrade further into mainstream
On August 25th, Cadbury extended its commitment to Fairtrade by confirming that three more markets are to receive Fairtrade certification for the flagship Cadbury Dairy Milk brand by early 2010. This move in Canada, Australia and New Zealand will bring the independent FAIRTRADE Mark into millions more homes in five of Cadbury’s key chocolate markets.
This latest move takes the mainstreaming of Fairtrade to a new global level, meaning that around one quarter of Cadbury Dairy Milk global sales and 350 million Cadbury Dairy Milk bars will be Fairtrade certified in 2010. Combined with existing Fairtrade market in Britain and Ireland, the five markets will quadruple Fairtrade cocoa sales from Ghana, adding an additional 15,000 tonnes - from 5,000 tonnes in 2008 to 20,000 tonnes in 2010.
The move continues to build on Cadbury’s heritage with farmers in Ghana for over 100 years and the ongoing work of Cadbury’s groundbreaking Cadbury Cocoa Partnership (CCP) launched in 2008.
Cadbury’s partnership with the Fairtrade Foundation in Britain and Ireland – which saw Fairtrade Cadbury Dairy Milk bars coming off shelves in July – has already resulted in £500,000 transferred to Ghana, the first instalment of the Fairtrade social premium. This is part of Cadbury’s overall investment into cocoa sustainability though the Cadbury Cocoa Partnership.
Rob Cameron, Chief Executive Officer, Fairtrade Labelling Organisation (FLO), commented:
“We want to see as many farmers and workers benefitting from Fairtrade as possible. Cadbury’s commendable move will make a big difference for cocoa farmers and enable them to improve their lives. Such commitments demonstrate that Fairtrade really can, as so many of us believe, go to scale.”
Todd Stitzer, Cadbury’s Chief Executive, said:
“I am delighted that, having announced our significant global ambition for Cadbury Fairtrade in March this year, we can now make this promise a reality in five of our key global chocolate markets by early 2010. I’ve been touched by the response from consumers since our Fairtrade Cadbury Dairy Milk bars came on shelf in Britain and Ireland over the last month. I look forward to next year when we’ll bring Fairtrade chocolate to millions more Cadbury Dairy Milk fans globally, all at the same price and with the same taste.
By continuing to work with our different markets and with the international Fairtrade network, we can further extend the success of the Fairtrade movement and, most importantly achieve greater impact for farmers in Ghana.”
Mr. P. K. Tekper, the Vice-President of Kuapa Kokoo concluded:
“We are very happy that Cadbury’s have made this further commitment. The premium that we have already received from Cadbury has made a real difference to our lives. Our plans for the future are to build fourteen community projects next year, invest in the health care of our farmers and to put in place a ‘Kuapa Kokoo Extension Services’ to farmers to ensure sustainability of cocoa in the world market.”
The Fairtrade partnership with Cadbury Australia and New Zealand will also result in Fairtrade certified bars being available in Japan.
Cadbury Dairy Milk Fairtrade is part of Cadbury’s broader commitment to develop a sustainable business strategy to empower farmers to invest in their land and their communities. Through the Cadbury Cocoa Partnership (CCP), Cadbury is investing £45 million over the next ten years to secure sustainable cocoa farming in Ghana, India, Indonesia and the Caribbean where the cocoa farming industry is facing increasing challenges. So far, the Cadbury Cocoa Partnership model with charities and NGOs on the ground in Ghana has achieved the following:
- A Ghana board has been set up with power to make CCP decisions there and includes partners at grass roots level who know and understand their communities’ needs
- Through grass roots partnerships with Care, VSO and World Vision, the Cadbury Cocoa Partnership is now active in 100 Ghanaian communities
Francis Sampson Kwesi, a 48 year old cocoa farmer from the Ghanaian village of Kromameng, one of those involved in the Cocoa Partnership and now hoping to gain Fairtrade certification, added:
“One of the main benefits is that I can invest the proceeds out of the cocoa in things such as the upkeep of the children’s school fees, as well as in developments for the whole community, such as building roads. It helps us to have a higher standard of living, as although the land here [in Ghana] is good for cocoa growing, when we are not in the season of cocoa, we need everything else to help make the environment more conducive for cocoa growing.”
Cadbury estimate that by 2018, through today’s announcements and the Cadbury Cocoa Partnership, it will have made a demonstrable difference to the lives of around half a million farmers in Cadbury’s cocoa markets.
To find out more about the Fairtrade Foundation, you can visit the Fairtrade Foundation’s website.
You can also learn more about the Cadbury Cocoa Partnership and Cadbury’s approach to ethical and sustainable sourcing
.
See the Todd Stitzer (Cadbury CEO) and Harriet Lamb (CEO of the Fairtrade Foundation)interview on Youtube
We’re blogging about all of our adventures in Fairtrade, so if you fancy hearing more, want to know about upcoming events or just want to talk to us, then pop in for a visit!
Also, please take a look at our Skills Space education site. Here you will learn more about Ghana, the life of a cocoa farmer and the future: why Cadbury is working in partnership with other organisations and the farmers themselves to help build a better future.