Cocoa Traceability Across Our Product Applications

deZaan, a prominent supplier of premium cocoa ingredients, sets the standard for excellence through its efforts to source cocoa beans more responsibly. Not only do they prioritize qualtiy and flavor, but they also try to ensure that their cocoa benefits smallholder farmers, their families, communities, and the environment. Let's dive deeper into the key aspects:

1. Direct Supply Chain Traceability:

   • deZaan has made significant strides in achieving enhanced direct supply chain traceability. This commitment allows customers to understand the social and environmental impact of the cocoa they use.  
   • By mapping their cocoa supply chain and tracing it back to the farm gate and/or community, deZaan contributes to ending deforestation and promoting sustainable practices.
2. Cocoa Farmers and Livelihoods:
   
   • Through training initiatives, deZaan in partnership with branded customers has empowered 438,700 cocoa farmers with Good Agricultural Practices (GAP). These practices enhance productivity, quality, and sustainability.  
   • The distribution of 2.9 million trees in our sustainability programs with customers, for agroforestry and income diversification, further supports farmers and their communities.
3. Deforestation and Stakeholders:
   • Through ofi, deZaan collaborates with stakeholders, including governments in cocoa-producing countries like Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) and Ghana. These partnerships aim to establish national strategies, policy environments, and governance structures to combat deforestation.  
   • The Cocoa Forest Initiative (CFI) plays a crucial role in this effort, emphasizing sustainable practices and forest preservation.  
4. Traceable Cocoa and Quality Control:
   • We are currently working on achieving full traceability to try and ensure that cocoa products can be traced from the farm to the final product. This transparency benefits both consumers and producers.  
   • Quality control measures are essential to maintain the high standards expected from deZaan cocoa. deZaan works to create polygon maps of its farms to track deforestation.  
5. Human Rights and Fair Trade:
   •  deZaan actively promotes fair trade practices, to try and ensure that cocoa farmers receive fair compensation for their labor.  
   • Efforts to timely remediate all identified cases of child labor and uphold human rights are integral to its sustainability goals.  
6. Incentives and Agroforestry:
   •  Incentives encourage farmers to adopt sustainable practices, such as agroforestry. This approach combines cocoa farming with tree planting, benefiting both the environment and livelihoods. 
   • The World Cocoa Foundation and NGOs play a vital role in driving positive change within the cocoa sector.  
7. Digital Solutions and Transparency:
   • Digital solutions enhance traceability by securely recording steps within the cocoa supply chain. This enhanced transparency builds trust among stakeholders.  
8. Global Impact:
   • deZaan's commitment extends beyond Europe, impacting cocoa farming practices in West Africa, including Ghana and Cameroon.  

In summary, deZaan's sustainable cocoa efforts,  in partnership with our branded customers, contribute to achieving a thriving cocoa industry, protecting  the environment, and uplifting cocoa farmers. As consumers, we can savor the many products with delicious colorful deZaan cocoa ingredients with the knowledge that they are part of a more responsible and traceable value chain.  
Remember, every bite of chocolate tells a story—a story of sustainability, resilience, and the labor of cocoa farmers around the world.