The Lindt & Sprüngli
Farming Program

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High quality cocoa is the heart of our chocolate. It is our most important raw material, and we are committed to sourcing it responsibly through our own sustainability program, the Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program or other sustainability programs. Through the Farming Program, we aim to contribute to creating decent and resilient livelihoods for cocoa farmers and their families and to encourage more sustainable farming practices. Since the Farming Program launch in 2008, it has expanded to 131,000 farmers and 990 field staff.

After achieving our goal to source 100% of our cocoa beans through the Farming Program in 2020, we extended the Program to include cocoa butter in 2021 and cocoa powder in 2022. In 2023, we sourced about 68 % of our cocoa products, which includes cocoa beans, cocoa butter, cocoa powder, and chocolate mass through our Farming Program. We invested almost CHF 30 million into cocoa sustainability in 2023, of which CHF 26.8 million was paid to cocoa suppliers for operating our Farming Program.

From Bean to Bar

Lindt & Sprüngli is one of the few chocolate manufacturers which produces its own cocoa mass from the cocoa beans we source. This allows us to oversee the entire production process – from the selection and sourcing of cocoa beans to the production of cocoa mass (also called cocoa liquor) and the finished product (“from bean to bar”).

 

Our Cocoa Origins

Since the Farming Program launch in 2008 in Ghana we have expanded the Program to the following cocoa bean sourcing origins: Côte d‘Ivoire, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Madagascar, Papua New Guinea, and Peru.

Ghana

Part of the Farming Program since 2008, currently with more than 78,500 farmers

Ecuador

Part of the Farming Program since 2014, currently with more than 8,800 farmers

Madagascar

Part of the Farming Program since 2015, currently with more than 2,500 farmers

Papua New Guinea

Part of the Farming Program since 2017, currently with more than 4,600 farmers

Dominican Republic

Part of the Farming Program since 2018, currently with more than 900 farmers

Peru

Part of the Farming Program since 2021, currently with more than 900 farmers

Côte d'Ivoire

Part of the Farming Program since 2021, currently with more than 34,600 farmers

Our Farming Program Milestones

2008

Start of the Farming Program
in Ghana, with focus on traceability
and community development.

2012

Extension of the Farming Program
to cover four pillars: traceability, training,
community support and verification.

2013

Lindt Cocoa Foundation
is established.

2014

Start of the Farming Program
in Ecuador

2015

Start of the Farming Program
in Madagascar

2016

Cocoa bean supply chain from Ghana
is 100% traceable and externally verified.

2017

Start of the Farming Program
in Papua New Guinea.

2018

Start of the Farming Program
in Dominican Republic.

All countries from which Lindt & Sprüngli sources cocoa beans are now part of the Farming Program.

2019

Launch of the No-Deforestation and
Agroforestry Action Plan for Cocoa.

2020

Interim goal reached:
100% traceable and externally verified cocoa bean supply

2021

Start of the Farming Program in Peru.

2021

Start of the Farming Program in Côte d’Ivoire.
Inclusion of cocoa butter to the Farming Program.

2022

Expansion of the Program to include cocoa powder.

2023

Sourced more than 68% of our cocoa products including beans, butter, powder and chocolate mass through our Farming Program. More than 72% is sourced through sustainability programs.

 

2025

We aim to source 100% of cocoa products (beans, butter, powder, and chocolate mass)  through the Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program or other sustainability programs by 2025.

Traceability and Verification

100% of our cocoa beans are traceable back to the origin and externally verified. We aim to source 100% of cocoa products – beans, butter, powder, and chocolate mass through the Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program or other sustainability programs by 2025. In 2023, 72.3% of cocoa was sourced through sustainability programs, thereof 68.2% was sourced through the Farming Program.

Our Sustainability Plan

The Lindt & Sprüngli Sustainability Plan is our strategy for optimizing our impact on the societies, environments and economies in which we are present.  Our commitment for a better tomorrow reflects our core company values of Excellence, Innovation, Entrepreneurship, Responsibility, and Collaboration. Through our Sustainability Plan, we aim to foster successful collaboration within the company, improve the livelihoods of our people in our supply chain, contribute to an intact environment, and delight our consumers.

For more information, visit our Corporate Website.

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