At the end of 2023, Colombian sustainable brand Chocolate Cordillera announced that 106 female cocoa farmers from Urabá Antioquia had completed the first module of its ATENEA sustainability program, giving some the confidence to become fully independent and start their own businesses. Alejandra Sarasty, Chief Global B2B Officer at Colombia’s Compañia Nacional de Chocolates (owners of Chocolate Cordillera), explains the significance of the milestone for the women directly involved and the cocoa sector in general.
Cocoa production is decisively linked with women, and sustainable value chains are, too. However, how will their roles differ with the upcoming EU legislation on deforestation, and in a broader issue, will it threaten cocoa and chocolate exporters?
The Women in Cocoa & Chocolate Network (WINCC) has announced an especially convened online session with Colombia’s Cordillera Chocolate to explore how the upcoming EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) could provide opportunities for women empowerment in the sector.
The importance to the cocoa sector of female farmers has been increasingly recognised in the past decade with the introduction of specific support for female-led Fairtrade cooperatives in West Africa, along with initiatives from other actors in different regions of the cocoa-growing world. Last month ConfectioneryNews attended the launch of 'ATENEA' a new and ambitious programme to support the long-term transformation of female cocoa farmers in Colombia.
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