Blommer Chocolate Co. has launched a new initiative under its sustainability program to further support cocoa farmers in Cote D’Ivoire.
Created in 2015, the Livelihood, Infrastructure, Food & Technology program — LIFT Cocoa — aims to impact the daily lives of cocoa farmers by providing access to life’s basic needs, including clean water, nutritional food, health care and basic education. With this new initiative within the LIFT program, a portion of the proceeds from Blommer’s Founder’s Reserve line of chocolate has built the infrastructure to provide clean drinking water to villagers in Cote D’Ivoire.
To launch this initiative, Founder’s Reserve funded the building of water wells with borehole pumps that have begun providing clean water to thousands of individuals in Baleyo and Koffibakro. Blommer chose these villages because most of the current water supply is collected from surrounding ponds and hand-dug wells that are exposed to contamination and to drying out during the dry season. The planned wells will provide safe drinking water to 300 families, representing nearly 3,000 people.
“Blommer has long been a steward in pioneering sustainable cocoa farming and advancing farmers’ livelihoods around the globe,” said Steve Blommer, v.p. of business development. “As an industry leader, we believe sustainability efforts in cocoa communities provide value at every touch point in the supply chain, through improved and consistent product quality and a sustainable future for cocoa farming families.”
As a global cocoa processor and ingredient chocolate supplier, Blommer Chocolate Co.’s sustainability initiatives focus on farmer support in their endeavor to achieve economic viability for generations to come, as well as making accessible the infrastructure necessary for a thriving community.
