Proudly presenting the first ROC-certified cocoa from Latin America

We are proud to now be able to offer our clients the first ROC-certified cocoa from Latin America. The ROC label supplements existing organic standards with elements relating to sustainability, environmental protection and social responsibility. We often hear the words “cocoa” and “child labour” in practically the same breath. Thankfully, however, the reality is very different when it comes to our subsidiary YACAO in the Dominican Republic and the cocoa-producing smallholders. Since founding our subsidiary in 1999, there hasn't been a single case of child labour in our supply chain – something that made the Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) certification process so much easier.

There hasn’t been any case of child labour involving our Dominican subsidiary and the cocoa-producing smallholders since PRONATEC started importing cocoa from the Dominic Republic around 25 years ago. What’s more, the cocoa smallholders have always grown their cocoa trees in sustainable agroforestry systems. This meant that our cocoa already met ROC requirements, which made the ROC certification process significantly easier for us.

ROC label: minimal changes required thanks to cocoa agroforestry

The agroforestry systems already in place gave us a solid starting point to ensure that we would only need to make minimal adjustments in order to obtain the ROC label. Agroforestry systems don’t just foster ecological diversity: they also provide natural protection from pests and diseases. Agroforestry is a traditional agricultural method and results in better water retention, increases organic matter and improves soil structure on the whole. This contributes to plant health and has a positive impact on the surrounding ecosystem: the trees do not need to be watered (with the exception of the cocoa seedlings), the forest floor is naturally covered with mulch, the soil does not need to be tilled, and no synthetic fertilisers or pesticides whatsoever are used. You can find an excellent summary of the benefits of our ROC-certified cocoa here – many of which applied even before we received our ROC certification.

Why our cocoa from the Dominican Republic is socially responsible

Social responsibility is another key pillar of the ROC label. The Dominican Republic is an ideal location in this respect, as unlike many other cocoa producing countries, it does not have a history of child labour. UNICEF rates the risk of incidence of child labour in the Dominican Republic at 4%, putting the country in its ‘good’ category on the Fairtrade International Risk Map. By comparison, the corresponding risk level of child labour in West African countries ranges from 20-25% (e.g. Ghana: 20%), and between 2-15% in other Latin American countries (e.g. Brazil: 5%).

Not a single case of child labour

UNICEF’s assessment matches our own experiences on the ground: No cases of child labour involving our subsidiary YACAO and the cocoa smallholders have been identified since we first became active in the country in 1999. Various independent standards organisations have confirmed these good results. These include Fairtrade International, Fair for Life and now Regenerative Organic Certified.

All of the children of our smallholder supply partner FUNDOPO in the Dominican Republic receive a formal education and are supported by the FUNDOPO smallholder association, which provides them with school supplies, shoes, sports equipment and toys. Many of FUNDOPO’s activities aim specifically at supporting children in cocoa producing communities.

First ROC-certified cocoa from Latin America

Our ROC-certified cocoa mass, cocoa butter, cocoa powder and cocoa nibs are available now. This makes PRONATEC the world’s first provider of ROC-certified cocoa from Latin America. But that’s not all: we are also planning to add ROC-certified raw cane sugar as well as chocolates and coatings to our range. The ROC label represents a meaningful step towards sustainable chocolate production and perfectly complements our existing certifications, helping customers on the lookout for innovative raw products to find high-quality ingredients with a label that is gaining more and more attention among consumers.

Read our deep-dive article entitled “What does the Regenerative Organic Certified label stand for?” here.