Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program
Our commitment to sustainability starts with a bean, a tree, and a farmer.
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.
Introducing the Lindt & Sprüngli
Farming Program
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.
The Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program starts establishing a verification process. Training for farmers is initiated and at the same time progress is monitored.
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.
More than 60,000 farmers are participating in the Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program and are benefiting from its services.
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.
2008
2014
2015
2017
2018
The Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program consists of
four elements
Element 1: Traceability and
farmer organization
Everything starts with traceability.
Traceability is important. We can only have an impact on local circumstances if we know where the beans are coming from.
We believe that farmers working together in groups are more successful. That’s why we help our farmers to form groups.
Element 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:
Farmers learn everything from planting and harvesting to fermentation and drying.
Training includes information about biodiversity and the protection of the environment.
They receive information about e.g. health, safety or labor standards.
They learn how to manage their farms professionally as a business.
Element 3: Farmer
investments
Farmers receive support for the professionalization of their farms.
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.
Element 3: Community
development
The communities the farmers live in are supported in their 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.
Element 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.
Where we stand in terms of
verification and traceability
We make continuous progress towards a fully traceable and verified cocoa bean supply chain.
2015
89% cocoa beans traceable and verified cocoa beans traceable
2016
97% cocoa beans traceable and verified cocoa beans traceable
2017
92% cocoa beans traceable and verified cocoa beans traceable
