Sustainability

Haigh’s Chocolates is serious about its responsibilities for sustainable farming whether we are sourcing ingredients locally or overseas. Here’s some of what we do and why:

Australia does not have a viable cocoa growing industry. Therefore we import premium priced, raw high-quality cocoa beans from cocoa growing regions around the world including South America, Africa and the Pacific, then roast and blend them locally, guaranteeing our high-quality chocolate production.

Where possible we source ingredients such as sugar, milk powder, dried fruit and nuts from within Australia in support of Australian producers.

We are UTZ Certified

UTZ stands for sustainable farming and better opportunities for farmers, their families and our planet. The UTZ program enables farmers to learn better farming methods, improve working conditions and take better care of their children and the environment. Through the UTZ program farmers grow better crops, generate more income and create better opportunities while safeguarding the environment and securing the earth’s natural resources.

Among other things, this contributes to the financial sustainability of the farmer and their families. A premium is paid on the market price to these farmers to encourage best practice activities. We chose to partner with UTZ because of their strong focus on supporting sustainable farming and their traceability system which assures that UTZ certified products truly relate to certified sustainable sources.

UTZ merged with the Rainforest Alliance in 2018 in response to the critical challenges facing humanity: deforestation, climate change, systemic poverty, and social inequity. They combined their respective strengths to build a future in which nature is protected and biodiversity flourishes; where farmers, workers, and communities prosper; and where sustainable land use and responsible business practices are the norm.

The Rainforest Alliance is an international non-profit organization working at the intersection of business, agriculture, and forests to make responsible business the new normal. They are an alliance of companies, farmers, forest communities, and consumers committed to creating a world where people and nature thrive in harmony.  Learn more about the Rainforest Alliance.

Haigh’s is proud to be the first Australian-owned bean-to-bar chocolate manufacturer to have achieved UTZ certification.  Eighty percent of the beans we source from around the world now come from UTZ certified farms. Our aim is to achieve buying 100% UTZ Certified cocoa for all of our chocolate within the next two to three years. For more information on UTZ click here.

For Easter 2020 we will be making 100 tonnes of freshly-made chocolate using 100% UTZ certified cocoa for all Haigh's made Easter goodies.

Through our industry association, the Australian Industry Group (Ai Group) Confectionery Sector, we are also part of a global partnership with governments, non-government organisations and industry, including the International Cocoa Initiative to improve the lives of West African cocoa farmers and their families through a public certification process.

We are a direct member of the World Cocoa Foundation which works in all cocoa growing regions to help farming communities. Click here for more information on the work being done by the World Cocoa Foundation.