Why Love Cocoa's Sustainable Approach Is Changing the Chocolate Industry

Did you know that based on current projections, within 100 years, we’ll have no more rainforests?  

Pretty scary, right?

A notable contributor to deforestation is cocoa bean production.  

For those who don’t know, the cocoa bean is the basis of chocolate.

But can't cocoa beans be harvested without chopping down the cocoa tree?

While true, the deforestation problem is caused by farmers wearing out the soils.  

This forces the farmers to cut further into the forest to obtain fresh soil and land.  

In order to meet the world’s increasing demand for chocolate, farmers have shifted towards more unsustainable practices.  

In other words, the rate of deforestation has only been increasing.   

Even more worrisome is the fact that this problem will only become worse since world chocolate demand is expected to more than double by 2050.

Love Cocoa is an environmentally conscious company that has several “sweet” policies!  They also have a rich and amazing story.

Love Cocoa Story

Love Cocoa's origins can be traced back almost 200 years.  In 1824, John Cadbury opened a grocery shop in Birmingham, England.

As a Quaker, he refused to sell alcohol and instead sold tea, coffee, cocoa and drinking chocolate.

In 1866, George Cadbury went to Holland and bought a new innovative cocoa press.  

The press squeezed out more of the cocoa butter from the beans.

Therefore, adding starches with brick dust commonly used at the time wasn't necessary!

Pretty disgusting, right?

This new practice helped transform the business into a worldwide company.

You probably have heard of the popular Cadbury chocolate brand.  

It was the family's original chocolate company.  

Unfortunately, the Cadbury Chocolate brand underwent a hostile takeover in 2010.  

Love Cocoa was founded in 2016 by James Cadbury, a descendant of John Cadbury.  

The company set out to reinvent British favorites with a contemporary twist.  

They also sought to instill the strong and ethical values that the former Cadbury company practiced.  

To learn more about the history of this amazing company, click on the link here.

Love Cocoa Sourcing and Sustainability

The Love Cocoa company only purchases from suppliers that guarantee cocoa farmers a higher than market price.  

In the company's production value chain, there are no middlemen.  This leads to fair prices for the producers, reducing the need for unsustainable practices to make ends meet.

The company sources its chocolate from small family-run businesses in Bogota, Columbia.  

At these farms, cocoa farming is done organically, and post-harvest care includes renovating plantations and replanting trees.

Love Cocoa is also committed to avoiding using palm oil in its products, which is known to cause about 8% of the world’s deforestation.

Another great initiative that Love Cocoa is currently implementing is planting one tree for every product sold.  

They have partnered with Trees for the Future and have planted over one and a half million trees to fight against climate change!

Pros and Cons of Love Cocoa Chocolate

Pros:

• Member of 1% for the Planet

• B Corporation

• Reforestation projects

• Fairtrade

• Sustainable Packaging

• Inspired by a great-great-great grandfather, John Cadbury

Cons:

• Located in Europe (long-distance shipping for US customers)

• Could be more transparent and provide more details about sourcing partners 

Love Cocoa Sustainable Packaging

All of their packaging is either compostable or recyclable.  

Their candy bars no longer use plastic foil. 

Instead, the packaging uses a plant-based version that is compostable in 6 weeks.

They also collaborate with Kind Bag, a reusable shopping bag brand.  

Kind Bag takes old, recycled bottles and turns them into reusable bags.  

Love Cocoa Chocolate

Love Cocoa sells a variety of different and delectable chocolate. 

From mouthwatering chocolate truffles to decadent chocolate bars and sweet hot chocolate.  

They offer various vegan, milk, dark, white, gin, salted caramel, and boozy/alcohol varieties.  

The company also offers a monthly subscription.  

Now you can get a regular supply of their delicious ethically sourced chocolate delivered conveniently to your home.