Cacao Action Plan
- Sustainability
- Efforts for sustainable procurement (action plans)
- Cacao Action Plan
We work as a Group to resolve issues in line with our Cacao Procurement Policy.
Daito Cacao, a commercial-use chocolate manufacturer and wholesaler, and a consolidated subsidiary of the Group, has joined the World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) and acquired Rainforest Alliance (RA) and other certifications for responsible cacao procurement in an effort to resolve societal and environmental issues in the cacao supply chain. In March 2024, we formulated our Cacao Action Plan to promote sustainable procurement of cacao.
Cacao Action Plan
Action plan and progress
| Activities | Progress in FY2023 (including some results to date) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Establish new procurement routes that ensure traceability | Establish cacao suppliers that ensure traceability to plantations, and implement support measures for farmers and society to eradicate poverty and child labor, and prevent deforestation | To establish new cacao procurement routes that ensure traceability, we evaluated flavor, quality, and other attributes in 2023, and have plans for test procurement in 2024 after site visits |
| 2 | Expand certified cacao products | Improve the lives of plantation residents and workers and prevent deforestation by procuring certified cacao | In October 2023, the ANTHEM series of chocolate products for commercial use that use certified cacao beans were launched with the aim of ensuring that the use of the products improves the lives of plantation workers and farmers and prevents deforestation. |
| 3 | Flavor sustainability activities | Conserve rare Ecuadorian Arriba cacao beans and contribute to the cacao industry by improving work environments and productivity | Since 2021, in San Jose Plantation in Ecuador, Daito Cacao has participated in activities to conserve the Arriba variety, which has grown in Ecuador since ancient times. Using the plantation’s state-of-the-art facilities, cuttings from traditional Arriba cacao trees are grafted onto disease-resistant rootstock to maintain flavor and quality. This initiative began in October 2022, and once test harvests are complete, the farmland will be expanded in 2027 |
Examples of Cacao Action Plan initiatives
Daito Cacao has participated in activities to conserve the Arriba (Nacional) cacao variety* at the San Jose Plantation in Ecuador since 2021.
In October 2022, Daito Cacao began grafting cuttings from carefully selected Arriba cacao trees onto rootstock with the aim of preserving the traditional Ecuadorian flavor.
These activities will continue with the aim of transferring the traditional flavor of cacao to the next generation.
* Arriba variety of cacao: Endemic to Ecuador, believed to be closest to the indigenous variety of cacao.
For more information, please visit Daito Cacao’s website