Partnerships key to sustaining cocoa supply: Chocovision

June 11, 2012, Switzerland – Two hundred senior business leaders and key stakeholders met
in Davos, Switzerland, last week at Chocovision 2012, where the message was clear: partnerships are necessary to secure a sustainable cocoa supply.

June 11, 2012, Switzerland – Two hundred senior business leaders from around the world, and
other key stakeholders in the cocoa, chocolate and retail industry, met
in Davos, Switzerland, last week to discuss issues facing the cocoa and chocolate
industry going forward, as well as accomplishments made so far. The
conference was held under the theme "Balance the Challenge: From cocoa
to chocolate – strategy, sustainability and success" and drew top
industry executives, government representatives from origin countries in
West Africa and Malaysia, NGOs and certification bodies and two keynote speakers.

"All stakeholders must work together in order to secure a sustainable
cocoa supply well into the future," said
Juergen Steinemann, Barry Callebaut CEO, in his closing remarks. "So besides looking at the many
opportunities, we took the initiative to talk about solutions for some
of the most pressing challenges including: changing consumer needs and
behavior, new chocolate consumption markets, rising demand for
chocolate-based products, supply constraints as well as a lack of
sustainability in the cocoa sector."

Rock musician
and activist Sir Bob Geldof and Nobel Peace Prize Winner Mohammed Yunus
inspired participants with remarkable keynote speeches emphasizing
progress, especially in poverty-stricken regions of West Africa and
South Asia, where smallholder farmers produce much of the world's cocoa.
"The biggest challenges in the world today can only be overcome when
the big players – governments, corporations and NGO's – find a way to
work together strategically," Geldof said in his speech.

At
the end of the three-day conference, William Guyton, president of the
World Cocoa Foundation (WCF), announced the establishment of the WCF
Senior Leaders Council – a global platform that aims
to provide strategic input for the stakeholders along the supply chain
on solutions leading to a cocoa production that is economically viable,
socially equitable and environmentally sound.

Barry
Callebaut initiated and organized the inaugural event, which will be held next in 2014.

For more information, see www.chocovision.ch.