Companies including Nespresso and Timberland are working with local communities in developing countries to build sustainable supply chains

Every chocolate company needs to buy cocoa beans. For Seattle-based Theo Chocolate, sourcing this essential ingredient is not about finding the right vendors – it’s about creating them. This unorthodox approach yields a better quality of chocolate for Theo, and a better quality of life for the cocoa farmers with whom the business works, according to founder and CEO Joe Whinney.

“Unless you’re really willing to change the game [and] the way it’s done, you’re going to end up with the same cycle,” he said. He’s referring to a cycle in which, despite the efforts of global chocolate companies, many of the world’s cocoa farmers remain poor.

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Source: The Guardian Circular Economy RSS