The cocoa industry faces a myriad of challenges—including the intensifying impacts of climate change, gender inequity, and more—and Mars, one of the world’s largest cocoa buyers, is using its scale to find meaningful solutions to drive the industry forward, it says.

To learn more, we reached out to Nupur Parikh, who recently started a new role as global senior director, cocoa sustainability, Mars.

Liz Parker Kuhn: Can you please talk about programs like Women for Change, developed with the Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere (CARE)? How do they strengthen the economic power of women in cocoa-growing communities, and how can they unlock both household-level and system-level change?

Nupur Parikh: Our collaboration with CARE is something we are incredibly proud of. For a decade, Mars and CARE have collaborated through our Women for Change program in cocoa-growing communities in Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana that aims to help strengthen women’s economic empowerment by supporting them to save and invest, build and grow businesses, shift their confidence and power within their households and communities, and harness their power of collective action.  

The Women for Change program has continuously evolved to remain deeply aligned with the needs of its participants. By integrating real-world field results, maintaining a constant dialogue with communities, and leveraging key research—such as KIT’s Resilience Journey—the program has renewed its approach to tackle the root causes of inequality. True empowerment requires more than just financial tools; it demands a shift in social norms and mindsets. Consequently, our strategy with CARE focuses on four interconnected pillars: Financial Inclusion, Entrepreneurship, Gender Equity, and Healthy Families, primarily driven by CARE’s Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLA) model to strengthen women's economic power in West African cocoa-growing communities. Women don’t operate in a vacuum; they exist within households, communities, and deeply rooted social norms. As we collaborate with CARE and others in helping empower women and increasing their confidence, their power and their roles in their homes and their communities, we must also bring men along on the journey, otherwise we hamper change or even risk reversing the progress made in these areas.

Based on the results achieved through CARE and Mars sponsored VLSAs over the past 10 years, we believe that the real power of this VSLA model is that it’s both durable and dynamic. We believe that it’s durable because it’s designed for self-governance; the groups are built to manage themselves long after our initial support ends. We also believe that it's incredibly dynamic because, while it starts with savings, it has the potential quickly become a platform for so much more—building new businesses, providing mutual support and fostering a palpable sense of confidence and ownership.  

At the household level, CARE has reported seeing a significant shift in social norms through the Family Business Management Training model. This training encourages a family-centered approach, focusing on joint planning, open communication, and shared risk management. Evidence provided by CARE shows that this joint decision-making directly leads to increased productivity, better risk management, and improved household resilience. Critically, when this program is delivered at scale, CARE reports that the collective impact of these individual successes helps create a community-wide "tipping point," fundamentally shifting social norms for the long term.

The impact of this program extends beyond individual households, though. Investments and focus at an ecosystem-level help enable communities to thrive by addressing the root causes of socio-economic challenges in these communities. When women reach their full potential, CARE research shows that they’re more likely to invest in areas like food security, education, climate adaptation, and better health outcomes for themselves, their families, and their communities. The success and lessons from the Women for Change program form a blueprint for us to replicate in other communities and embed women-centric approaches into broader programming.

LPK: How does CARE and Mars try to enable more equitable and productive family farming businesses in the cocoa industry?

NP: We first have to recognize that there’s really no such thing as a solitary individual cocoa farmer. Cocoa is grown by family farms, and we believe that to enable truly equitable and productive businesses, you must understand the individuals within that family unit. You must create an environment where everyone can be seen, heard, and empowered to drive change from the ground up, but this too frequently has not been the case with women in cocoa-farming households. That philosophy is exactly why our work with CARE has focused so intentionally on women.

The Family Business Management Training serves as an indispensable transition instrument, connecting the success of financial empowerment achieved at the group level (VSLA) to joint financial management and well-being of the household.

The impact after a decade is clear: Women for Change has reached over 100,000 VSLA members—77% of whom are women—and supported entrepreneurship training over 30,000 people in cocoa-growing communities on entrepreneurship. Crucially, CARE reports that women’s participation in household decisions have increased by 109% over the course of the pilot from 2015 to 2020.

LPK: Can you please talk about the Mars Cocoa Enterprise agenda—what is it, and any changes for 2026?

NP: At Mars, our vision is to help create a more modern, inclusive and sustainable cocoa ecosystem.

Modern means we aim to help advance the professionalization of cocoa farming through science and technology, focusing on tools, techniques, and planting materials to increase productivity and sustainability. Building a more inclusive cocoa ecosystem means ensuring the human rights of everyone in the supply chain are respected, helping create platforms for all voices to be heard and actively working to remove barriers to create better economic opportunities for farmers and their communities. We’re also working toward a more sustainable cocoa ecosystem by helping to preserve biodiversity, reduce deforestation and reduce greenhouse gas emissions—while also helping foster more resilient cocoa production.

Our Cocoa for Generations strategy guides this work. It isn't a short-term initiative; rather, it's a long-term commitment backed by a $1 billion investment over ten years, from 2018 to 2028, to help support programs that can make a difference for cocoa-growing communities.

Throughout the year ahead, we’ll continue to build on the progress we've already made—with a focus on scale and impact: How do we scale our successful programs and leverage the lessons we've learned to drive even greater impact across the cocoa value chain? For example, our cocoa research stations in Sulawesi focus on improving the quality and productivity of cocoa in Indonesia through integrated pest management, soil management, diversified farming systems, and genetics and breeding of superior clones, which includes the recent release of two new cocoa clones in collaboration with the Indonesia National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) within the Indonesia ecosystem.

LPK: What is Mars’s sustainability plan for 2026 and beyond?

NP: Our sustainability plan for 2026 and beyond is a continuation and acceleration of our long-term "Sustainable in a Generation" plan. This is our commitment to creating a world where the planet is healthy, people are thriving, and society is inclusive.

We know we can't do this alone. Collaboration is key and we believe lasting progress will depend on collective action from all stakeholders in the cocoa industry. 

LPK: What is your favorite Mars candy to enjoy?

NP: My favorite candy is Dove Dark—it’s understated, elegant, and delivers a deep cocoa richness without feeling heavy or overly sweet. A few years ago, I had the chance to visit the Mars factory in Elizabethtown and actually make chocolate from scratch, from cocoa to finished bar, which completely deepened my appreciation for the craft behind it. Now every time I unwrap a square it’s a reminder of the precision, care, and quiet excellence that go into Mars's products. 

Mars is on the current Candy Industry “Global Top 100 Candy Companies” list. Click here to view the current “Global Top 100” rankings.