The Barry Callebaut Group says its North American better-for-you portfolio is transitioning to supporting sustainably sourced cocoa and vanilla.

The company’s better-for-you portfolio includes sugar-free, reduced sugar and no sugar added solutions, as well as high-protein, dairy-free, and organic options. The portfolio has seen high growth and innovation in recent years. This trend is expected to continue, and the move provides Barry Callebaut’s North American customers with high-quality sustainable products and supports the industry-wide sustainability ambition.

All better-for-you products will become Cocoa Horizons verified through the Cocoa Horizons Foundation. Sustainable Cocoa Horizons cocoa and chocolate products are sold by Barry Callebaut with a premium, which is used to help improve the livelihoods of cocoa farmers and their communities. These premiums go to the Cocoa Horizons Foundation to fund cocoa sustainability activities such as farmer coaching and support, cocoa and non-cocoa seedling distribution, and community development in a transparent and externally verified process. 

Other popular cocoa sustainability certification programs continue to be available. 

Additionally, the better-for-you products will support sustainable vanilla production through a partnership with vanilla supplier Prova to implement the Sustainable Vanilla Charter.

“Barry Callebaut looks at the better-for-you segment through an end consumer lens,” said Laura Bergan, director, Barry Callebaut brand. “Our innovation and portfolio are driven by consumer lifestyles and a result of closely monitoring market trends. Our sustainable portfolio goes beyond health benefits including the quality of the ingredients and the impact on the planet and farmers’ livelihood, which plays an important role for consumers. Being fully cocoa and vanilla sustainable adds to the value proposition of our products, which our customers can leverage in their product development and story-telling.”

Barry Callebaut’s Forever Chocolate initiatives have the mission to make sustainable chocolate the norm. Forever Chocolate is built on four targets that Barry Callebaut expects to achieve by 2025 and that address the biggest sustainability challenges in the chocolate supply chain:

1. Eradicate child labor from its supply chain
2. Lift more than 500,000 cocoa farmers out of poverty
3. Become carbon and forest positive
4. Provide 100% sustainable ingredients in all its products

“This is an important step towards our goal of being completely sustainable by 2025,” Bergan said. “Barry Callebaut embraces its role as an industry leader by leading the sustainable cocoa and chocolate movement. We cannot achieve our ambitious goal by tomorrow and we cannot achieve it alone. Moving our better-for-you portfolio to fully sustainably cocoa and vanilla is an exciting step on our journey.”