Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program

Our commitment to sustainability starts with a bean, a tree, and a farmer.

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The Lindt & Sprüngli

promise

Lindt & Sprüngli is one of the few manufacturers to produce chocolate from bean to bar. This enables us to foster sustainable behavior along the entire value chain.

High-quality cocoa beans are the heart of our chocolates. We want to know where those beans come from and what the conditions are on the ground. Lindt & Sprüngli has a big advantage in this, as we are one of the few chocolate companies to have control over every step of the production chain, from the selection of the finest cocoa varieties through to the finished product. This is one of the most fundamental elements of a sustainable and traceable cocoa bean supply chain – and it's not a task we want to delegate to others. That’s why we implemented our own sustainable sourcing model: the Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program.

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Lindt & Sprüngli produces

from bean to bar

Introducing the Lindt & Sprüngli

Farming Program

2008

Lindt & Sprüngli Program established in Ghana with 100% traceable cocoa beans. We pay a special premium for every ton of cocoa beans to ensure traceability and to support community development.

2012

The Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program starts establishing a verification process. Training for farmers is initiated and at the same time progress is monitored.

2016

We reached the goal of 100% verified cocoa bean supply chain in Ghana. The premiums paid so far for the sustainably sourced cocoa beans add up to more than 14 mio. US Dollars.

2017

More than 60,000 farmers are participating in the Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program and are benefiting from its services.

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The Lindt & Sprüngli

Farming Program

Discover how we source our most important raw material, the cocoa beans:

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Countries covered by

the Farming Program

Lindt & Sprüngli sources its high-quality cocoa beans from the world's most renowned cocoa origins such as Ghana, Latin America (mainly Ecuador), the Caribbean, Madagascar and Papua New Guinea. Farming Programs are in place in the following countries and we are continuously working to establish the program in other countries.

Ghana

2008

Ecuador

2014

Madagascar

2015

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2 beans

rule the world

Chocolate is made from these two types of beans:

Forastero

90-95% of the world’s cocoa harvest is commercial cocoa. Mainly cultivated in West Africa.

Fine

Trinitario & Criollo

5-10% of the world’s cocoa harvest is fine flavor cocoa. It is cultivated mainly in Latin America and the Carribean. These types are famous for its fine aromas.

In our recipes we use a special blend of beans. The blend is a well-kept secret and makes up the exquisite aroma of our chocolates. But we give you a hint: Around 40% of all cocoa beans processed at Lindt & Sprüngli is fine flavored cocoa.

The Lindt & Sprüngli

Farming Program consists of

four steps

Traceability and farmer organization

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Training and knowledge transfer

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Farmer investments and community development

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Verification and continuous progress

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Scroll down and discover how our Farming Program works, based on examples from Ghana and Ecuador.

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Step 1

Traceability

and farmer organization

Everything starts with traceability.

More than 55,000 farmers

Traceability is important. We can only have an impact on local circumstances if we know where the beans are coming from.

Farmer organization

We believe that farmers working together in groups are more successful. That’s why we help our farmers to form groups.

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How does

traceability work?

Traceability starts at farm level, up to our factory doors. When a farmer sells cocoa, documentation is completed detailing the name of the farmer, the farmer code, location and volume sold. Every additional farmer selling in the same location is added to the documentation. Deliveries from different locations come together in central warehouses, always including the
respective documentation lists.

When a container is loaded to be shipped to our warehouses, farmer documentation lists pertaining to the respective container are compiled into a traceability certificate. Once a container is approved by our quality departments, the traceability certificate is sent to Lindt & Sprüngli. This enables us to know exactly from where those beans are coming from.

Step 2

Training and

knowledge transfer

The program helps the farmers to improve their way of farming by giving training and transferring knowledge. They receive training in the following fields:

Agricultural practices

Farmers learn everything from planting and harvesting to fermentation and drying.

Environmental practices

Training includes information about biodiversity and the protection of the environment.

Social practices

They receive information about e.g. health, safety or labor standards.

Business practices

They learn how to manage their farms professionally as a business.

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Meet two of

our farmers

Vida Arthur Kunkumso
Debiso, Ghana

Ms. Arthur grows cocoa on 2.5 hectares since 1998. She appreciates the secure source of income. The Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program in Ghana, which she joined in 2013, taught her good agricultural practices. At the same time, her community benefitted from a borehole that supplies clean drinking water. Ms. Arthur would like to see the Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program expand to educate other women on lucrative side jobs.

Ricondo Jacinto Chavez Verduga
Cerioco, Ecuador

Mr. Chavez Verduga started growing cocoa 24 years ago on the ten hectares of his farm. He appreciates that cocoa is faster in terms of rotation of money compared to oranges, tangerines, and lemons, which he also grows. Like any farmer, Mr. Chavez Verduga is worried about different types of diseases affecting the plants. That is why he likes being part of the Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program in Ecuador. Since joining the Program in 2014, he has learned and applied various new agricultural techniques, e. g. improved pruning.

Step 3

Farmer investments

and community development

Farmers receive support for the professionalization of their farms.

Farmer investments

Farmers often do not have access to farming and planting equipment. This is why the Farming Program invests in the set-up of farm shops, nurseries with new cocoa plants, demonstration plots where farmers are taught about good farming practices, plant protection products or pruning tools.

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Farmer

Investments

Watch how our farmer investments are contributing to better farming practices in Ecuador:

Step 3

Farmer investments

and community development

The communities the farmers live in are supported in their development.

Community development

Quite often, the local communities lack access to clean drinking water. This is why wells and boreholes are constructed. Other investments include village resource centers that give access to information and communication technology infrastructure, mosquito nets for malaria protection or school refurbishments.

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Clean

drinking water and education

See the impact of the Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program to the farmer communities

Step 4

Verification

and continuous progress

The verification of our Program is an important step towards our overall aim of a sustainable long-term supply chain.

Within the internal monitoring & performance management system, field staff visit each farmer participating in the Program at least once a year to see if the training content on agricultural, social, environmental and business aspects of farming is applied on the farms. Potential corrective actions are discussed together with the farmer and their implementation monitored. The ultimate aim is to measure the progress the farmers are making towards sustainable cocoa production. The Forest Trust visits each Program at least once a year to conduct external assessments, and to give recommendations for further improvement.
This enables the progress made to be verified.

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Why

verification is important

«Having the necessary distance to interpret the Farming Program, we are in a credible position to assess success, key learnings, challenges; and guiding Lindt & Sprüngli and its suppliers towards a deeper supply chain transformation.»

Bastien Sachet
CEO The Forest Trust

The Forest Trust (TFT) is a global environmental charity that helps companies run responsible supply chains.

Visit our progress reports on The Forest Trust Website

Where we stand

in terms of verification and traceability

We make continuous progress towards a fully traceable and verified cocoa bean supply chain.

2014

13% cocoa beans traceable and verifiedcocoa beans traceable

2015

32% cocoa beans traceable and verifiedcocoa beans traceable

2016

57% cocoa beans traceable and verifiedcocoa beans traceable

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What the program aims to achieve

The Farming Program supports the development mainly in the following three areas:

Productivity

Farmers implementing professional agricultural practices increase their productivity.

Community

The program supports thriving communities by opening village resource and ICT centers, reconstructing schools, new boreholes and the distribution of malaria nets.

Environment

Farmers know and care about the importance of biodiversity on their farms. The Program fosters the use of organic products, e.g. fertilizers.

Ecuador
2014
Ghana
2008
Madagascar
2015

Our journey towards an even

brighter chocolate future continues

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We are committed to working towards a 100% verified cocoa bean supply chain by

2020

Discover more about cocoa