Innovation

ChocDecor takes great pride in showcasing two noteworthy innovations:

1. Route de Cacao:

Belfine, ChocDecor's house brand, pays their farmers a Fairtrade minimum price for their goods, safeguarding against price uncertainty. On top of that, they produce a Fairtrade Premium, which local farming organizations can use to finance projects of their choice. However, Belfine goes even further. They have built a post-harvest center to improve the fermentation process. Training, premium rates, and other new ways to better their lives are also part of it. Belfine has created school infrastructure such as sanitary facilities and bathrooms at the school, health clinics, and drinkable water equipment to improve their lives.

2. Sustainable packaging:

They have taken action to provide the most sustainable packaging, such as switching to biodegradable paper cardboard trays instead of plastic ones and using paper tape instead of plastic to close their boxes, which leads to more eco-friendly packaging solutions for ChocDecor, Belfine, and other companies! By doing this, they can reduce 30 percent of packaging and thus reduce CO2 emissions throughout the supply chain.

Through these innovations, ChocDecor commits to both great taste and sustainable practices. Creating delicious products while also prioritizing environmental consciousness is essential for the well-being of our planet. Chocdecor's dedication to full-spectrum flourishing and achieving a net positive impact through sustainable packaging and fair trade for cacao farmers is vital for creating a more ethical and sustainable chocolate industry.

ChocDecor has a wide assortment of beautifully decorated chocolate lollipops and figurines for all special occasions

Inspiration

Mr. Luk Patyn, Managing Director and Owner of ChocDecor, stated that the latest science from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) describes the current state of the environment as a 'Code red for humanity.' Still, it also shows that it is possible to limit temperature rise. This made ChocDecor think about climate. Based on these findings, they came up with a goal: emitting 42% less greenhouse gases (CO2) by 2030 than in 2020.

Overall impact

ChocDecor employs the 'QIEFGO' principles to evaluate the impact of its sustainable innovations on themselves, the community, and the planet:

Quality (Q): They can improve the quality of their cacao plantation by organizing a training/education program 10 times a year for all cacao farmers in Tigorikro who want to participate in improving the quality and quantity of cacao. Their post-production center in the same town also helps them improve the quality because the fermentation and drying processes are controlled and monitored. Luk Patyn said: ‘Quality is not only quality of the product, but also investing the right amount of time into the work itself’.

Innovation (I): In Tigorikro, a circular collaboration has been established between the company ChocDecor, the chocolate makers, traders, cooperatives, and cacao farmers. In this small village, which Luk Patyn refers to as "the village of Luk Patyn," ChocDecor has introduced digitalization, constantly measuring plantation size, output per hectare, fermentation process, and so on.

Emotional (E): They provide the cacao farmers with an amazing feeling because they are not alone in their production and are receiving sufficient support and confidence from ChocDecor. ChocDecor also gives the local farmers hope and belief about a healthy and prosperous future.

Financial (F): They can make people's lives easier by increasing their life income from 1400 Euros to 4500 Euros between 2022 and 2025, resulting in a more manageable and transparent cash flow.

Growth (G): They can achieve more growth for people in the future by providing schools for children, such as in Tigorikro, and by providing cacao farmers with farming education to produce cacao in a more sustainable way, which will lead to a growth in their way of working and influence others to do the same.

Organizations (O): ChocDecor's organization is centered on efficient production, effective inventory management, and customer-centric operations to improve customer experience and loyalty. The fundamental organizational principles for ChocDecor are continuous improvement, quality control, and sustainable practices.

Business benefit

By distributing recyclable materials and supporting and helping cacao farmers, they will be demonstrating to the rest of the world that they are a sustainable company, permitting ChocDecor to establish even more long-distance relationships with clients who want to buy their chocolate because of its quality chocolate. Obtain new partners who sell their chocolate in their shops and businesses.

Luk Patyn added: ‘Our sustainability program in Tigorikro does not only result in a better quality of their chocolate but also a higher output of cacao per hectare. We teach and monitor them to produce more cacao which resulted in a 30% increase in their production’.

In addition, Chocdecor is also included in the ‘VCDO’ list, compiled by ‘VOKA’. They have been included in this list twice. The VCDO action plan allows businesses to strive towards a sustainable business that is profitable for your company, people and the environment. Besides the helpful action plan, the businesses included in VCDO also gained international recognition and reputation.

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Social and environmental benefit

ChocDecor protects the cacao farmers:

As of Christmas 2020, all ChocDecor lollipops are FAIRTRADE chocolate certified. Fairtrade cacao growers receive a Fairtrade Minimum Price for their products, which serves as a safety net if market prices fall. Farmer groups receive a Fairtrade Premium in addition to the Minimum Price, which they use to fund their chosen initiatives.

ChocDecor protects our planet:

FSC-certified cartons are used throughout ChocDecor. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is a non-profit organization that establishes high standards for environmentally responsible and socially beneficial forestry practices. If a package is labeled "FSC Certified," the wood used in the packaging and the manufacturer who created it meet the Forest Stewardship Council's guidelines.

Throughout ChocDecor, FSC-certified cartons are used. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is a non-profit organization that sets high standards for environmentally and socially responsible forestry practices. If a package is labeled "FSC Certified," the manufacturer and the wood used in the packaging satisfy the guidelines of the Forest Stewardship Council. The FSC certification is the "gold standard" classification for wood harvested from responsibly managed, socially beneficial, environmentally conscious, and economically prosperous forests. In addition to sustainable packaging, they also contribute to the reduction of deforestation in the Ivory Coast.

In this way, ChocDecor does contribute to reducing deforestation while simultaneously providing some shade for the cacao trees. They distribute shade tree seeds to the local women who plant them, then after a while, they repurchase these not-fully-grown trees from the women to earn money and make profits.

ChocDecor protects the local community:

Apart from the benefits for cacao farmers and women's profits from selling trees, ChocDecor also directly invests in local children and women. They not only pay that Premium to the community or build a post-production center, but they have also built a school with a solar-powered water tower for the local children in Tigorikro, and if that was not enough, they also bought a mill for women to grind corn into flour.

Interview

Luk Patyn, Managing Director & Owner of ChocDecor