WE START WITH THE COCOA BEAN
Haigh’s uses the best ingredients, including ethically and sustainably farmed Rainforest Alliance certified cocoa beans, which are sourced from around the world so customers can always expect premium quality, great tasting chocolate.
Rainforest Alliance certification stands for sustainable farming of coffee, cocoa and tea with better opportunities for farmers, their families and our planet. The Program enables farmers to learn better farming methods, improve working conditions and take better care of the environment.
Why Certification ?
Rainforest Alliance certification provides Haigh’s Chocolates and our customers a practical way of demonstrating their commitment to sustainability.
It puts Haigh’s at the forefront of a sustainable production program that spans cocoa-growing countries from Ghana in West Africa to Peru in South America. Rainforest Alliance certification works collaboratively to certify farmers who apply best practice labour relationships, improve safety and productivity. This contributes to the financial stability of the farmer and their families. A premium is paid to the market price to these farmers to encourage best practice activities.
We choose to partner with Rainforest Alliance because of their strong focus on supporting farmers towards certification. They have made significant progress in the growing regions where we source a significant portion of our beans. This has allowed us to transition to certified cocoa beans without compromising our chocolate’s traditional flavours and recipes.
Products do not get the Rainforest Alliance certification label easily and compliance with their strict requirements is closely monitored by independent third parties. The actual certification process took approximately six months with the final step being independent auditing of our new systems and procedures. Haigh’s is proud to be one of the few chocolate manufacturers in Australia to make its chocolate from the cocoa bean and the only Australian bean-to-bar chocolate manufacturer to have achieved Rainforest Alliance certification.
At Haigh’s, 80% of the cocoa we source from around the world now comes from Rainforest Alliance certified farms. Our aim is to achieve buying 100% certified cocoa for all our chocolate within the next two to three years.
For more information on Rainforest Alliance click here.
UTZ Merger with Rainforest Alliance
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. Learn more about the merger here
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.
