The meeting, which heralded the theme “Marking a Decade of Cocoa Sustainability,” featured sessions on “Cocoa and the Green Revolution,” “Programs to Address Child Labor,” “Emerging Markets and Producing Regions for Cocoa,” and roundtables on the cocoa supply chain, diversification, food security, the environment, and research.       

Co-keynote speakers Frank Mars of Mars Inc. and Sam Dryden of the Bill & Melina Gates Foundation, opened the sessions and roundtables, all of which are available on the foundation’s web site, www.worldcocoafoundation.org 

 WCF also announced it’s new slate officers for 2011: Anne Alonzo, Kraft Foods, and  Andy McCormick, The Hershey Co., will serve as chairperson and secretary/treasurer; respectively while Steve Genzoli of Ghirardelli Chocolate Co. and Gerry Manley of Olam International Ltd. will continue in their positions as Vice Chairpersons. Nicko Debenham of Armajaro and Francisco Gomez of Casa Luker Colombia were elected to the Executive Committee under the Small and Medium Enterprise membership category.  

 “As we enter our second decade, we look forward to working with this outstanding leadership team and with all of our members in support of cocoa farmers, their families, and their communities,” says Bill Guyton, WCF’s president. The Foundation also welcomed Denmark-based Carlletti SA and U.S.-based General Cocoa Company as new members.