Biolands, Barry Callebaut’s direct sourcing company
Biolands, Barry Callebaut’s direct sourcing company
Direct cocoa sourcing model
Biolands applies a bottom-up cooperation model, working with smallholder farmers to ensure fair prices are paid to the farmers and to improve cocoa quality, yields, and farmer livelihoods. This farmer-centric, village-to-port approach enables full traceability for every bag of cocoa.
The Biolands model supports Cocoa Horizons Foundation by enabling very effective implementation of sustainability programs. Biolands delivers HORIZONS cocoa, as well as certified cocoa. In 2015/16, we sourced from over 45,000 farmers through Biolands.
Supporting farmers and communities
Biolands helps farmers to increase cocoa productivity by providing training on certification requirements and yield enhancement, planting material, tools, crop protection products, and professional pruning and spraying services. Biolands also supports local cocoa communities, building and equipping classrooms with funds donated by clients, and helping provide medical insurance for thousands of farmers and their families. The Sustainable Trade Initiative IDH supports our programs in Côte d’Ivoire.
Nyonkopa
As a member of the Biolands group, Nyonkopa works with smallholder farmers to improve cocoa quality, yields, and farmer livelihoods. This farmer-centric, village-to-port approach enables full traceability for every bag of cocoa.
Nyonkopa cocoa is mostly Cocoa Horizons certified. Since 2016 Nyonkopa has enrolled and trained about 30,000 farmers under Cocoa Horizons. Apart from the benefit of enhanced productivity through the application of Cocoa Horizons, these farmers also receive a premium on top of the fixed price for their produce. Nyonkopa also started the implementation of UTZ certification in 2016. About 25,000 farmers are enrolled and enjoy training in good agricultural practices, environmental conservation, agroforestry, etc, all free of charge.
In 2017 Nyonkopa piloted Farm Services, a credit scheme through which cocoa farmers can acquire productivity packages. Through this approach, farmers are supplied with crop protection, pruning and spraying tools on credit. Farmers are also enabled to access banking products such as savings and loans from our partner financial institutions. Approximately 500 farmers participated. This pilot has largely been successful and the plan for 2017/18 is to scale-up to cover thousands of farmers.
Biolands Tanzania
