Nearly three quarters of French people eat chocolate once a week, consuming an average of 7 kilos per year. But what seems a simple indulgence has a dark side: cacao farming has resulted in massive deforestation. Reports of child labour and farmers who are often unfairly paid have tarnished the industry. Despite all this, chocolate has been considered a delicacy in France for centuries. In this show, we're focusing on an emerging new trend: ethical chocolate.
For the past few years, certain chocolate industry professionals in France have been trying to create a product that's greener and more ethical. That's the case of Les copains de Bastien, or The Friends of Bastien.
"Les copains de Bastien" is associated with "Bean to Bar", a movement born in the US which consists in the ability to produce your own chocolate, ensuring ethical processes are respected. "We work to pay the producers fairly, to make sure we don't contribute to deforestation," says chocolatier Marc Chincholle. "So, for that we work with the sourcers and directly with the producers sometimes, to assure that the process is done well and that the producers are able to get by financially and personally."
Committed Chocolatiers
Some French chocolatiers have become part of a group called the "Committed Chocolatiers' Club". Their objective is to ensure fair conditions for producers and transparency for consumers. The ultimate goal, they say, is to shake up the way things are done in the industry.
"We need to explain this approach; the key is to educate. Ninety-nine percent of farmers have never tasted a gram of chocolate, and at the same time, many chocolate users in France, Europe and around the world have never visited cocoa farms. So it was about bringing people together and allowing them to understand each other's issues," explains Daniel Mercier, the group's president.
Mercier launched the club to create a "short circuit" between chocolatiers in France and producers, allowing them to be better paid. "Creating a short circuit means that cocoa ultimately doesn't cost much more than what we paid before. We are very sensitive to prices, especially to inflation. The difference between craftsmanship and industry is that we have a significant impact of the cost of labour, which mitigates the rise in raw material costs," he says.
This approach is gaining ground in France and Europe, with more chocolatiers joining the team. "If we were to make a wish, it would be that indeed, fairly compensating farmers, knowing the origins, the cocoa plantations, meeting farmers, encouraging them to produce quality cocoa, becomes a global norm," Mercier hopes. "We need to focus precisely on these people. That’s what the Committed Chocolatiers are working on".
