Barry Callebaut buys Ghana’s first UTZ Certified cocoa

April 20, 2011, Zurich, Switzerland – Barry Callebaut has purchased the majority of the first-ever shipment of sustainable UTZ Certified cocoa beans from Ghana.

UTZ Certified is an independently verified assurance that cocoa has been produced in compliance with a defined set of economic, environmental and social criteria.

“This is an important step in our work to ensure a long-term supply of sustainably and responsibly grown cocoa that meets the demands of our customers and consumers,” said Steven Retzlaff, president of Global Sourcing & Cocoa at Barry Callebaut. “We appreciate the support of the Ghana Cocoa Board and the Cocoa Marketing Company, and applaud the dedicated efforts of the farmers affiliated with the Cocoa Abrabopa Association, the first cocoa producer group to become UTZ Certified in Ghana.”

Cocoa Abrabopa Association (CAA) is a farmer organization that seeks to train and educate Ghanaian farmers to improve cocoa production through proper farm maintenance and responsible use of fertilizers and crop protection products. In 2010, more than 3,900 Ghanaian farmers had achieved UTZ certification, and in the next three years, CAA aims to certify an additional 20,000 farmer members throughout Ghana’s cocoa growing regions.

Barry Callebaut launched its first certified cocoa and chocolate products in 1993, and today, works with its customers in all sectors of the food industry to meet their specific requirements for cocoa from a specific origin country or cocoa certified by one of the major cocoa certification programs. The company is one of the biggest buyers of UTZ Certified cocoa from all over the world, and is a member of the UTZ Certified steering group.