The Barry Callebaut Group (SWX:BARN), the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality chocolate and cocoa products, announced today that its North American ‘Better For You’ portfolio is transitioning to supporting sustainably sourced cocoa and vanilla.

• With a full range of sustainability sourced product solutions available in the North America region, the Barry Callebaut brand moves to 100% sustainably sourced cocoa and vanilla
• Barry Callebaut further strengthens its leadership position in the chocolate and cocoa health spaces
• This transition is an important step towards Barry Callebaut’s 2025 Forever Chocolate sustainability goals

The Barry Callebaut Brand’s ‘Better For You’ portfolio includes, but is not limited to, sugar solutions (sugar-free, reduced sugar, no sugar added), high-protein, dairy-free, and organic solutions. The portfolio has seen high growth and innovation in recent years. This trend is expected to continue, and today’s announcement provides Barry Callebaut’s North American customers with high-quality sustainable products and supports the industry-wide sustainability ambition.

All ‘Better For You’ products will be moving to COCOA HORIZONS verified through the Cocoa Horizons Foundation. Other popular cocoa sustainability certification programs continue to be available. Sustainable COCOA HORIZONS cocoa and chocolate products are sold by Barry Callebaut with a premium which is used to help improve the livelihoods of cocoa farmers and their communities. These premiums go to the Cocoa Horizons Foundation to fund cocoa sustainability activities such as farmer coaching and support, cocoa and non-cocoa seedling distribution, and community development in a transparent and externally verified process. The Cocoa Horizons Foundation serves as a platform for chocolate companies and other contributors to invest in sustainable cocoa. It relies on expert partners like Barry Callebaut to implement the sustainability activities. Additionally, the 'Better For You' products will be supporting sustainable vanilla production through a partnership with vanilla supplier Prova to implement the Sustainable Vanilla Charter.

“Barry Callebaut looks at the ‘Better For You’ segment through an end consumer lens,” said Laura Bergan, Director Barry Callebaut Brand. “Our innovation and portfolio are driven by consumer lifestyles and a result of closely monitoring market trends. Our sustainable portfolio goes beyond health benefits including the quality of the ingredients and the impact on the planet and farmers’ livelihood, which plays an important role for consumers. Being fully cocoa and vanilla sustainable adds to the value proposition of our products, which our customers can leverage in their product development and story-telling.”

Barry Callebaut’s Forever Chocolate initiatives have the mission to make sustainable chocolate the norm. Forever Chocolate is built on four targets that Barry Callebaut expects to achieve by 2025 and that address the biggest sustainability challenges in the chocolate supply chain:

1. Eradicate child labor from its supply chain
2. Lift more than 500,000 cocoa farmers out of poverty
3. Become carbon and forest positive
4. Provide 100% sustainable ingredients in all its products

“This is an important step towards our goal of being completely sustainable by 2025,” said Laura Bergan, Director Barry Callebaut Brand. “Barry Callebaut embraces its role as an industry leader by leading the sustainable cocoa and chocolate movement. We cannot achieve our ambitious goal by tomorrow and we cannot achieve it alone. Moving our ‘Better For You’ portfolio to fully sustainably cocoa and vanilla is an exciting step on our journey.”

For more information, please visit: https://www.barry-callebaut.com/en-US/manufacturers/news-events/sustainably-sourced-better-for-you-portfolio

About the Cocoa Horizons Foundation (www.cocoahorizons.org)

The Cocoa Horizons Foundation is a non-profit organization established by Barry Callebaut in Zurich, Switzerland to scale impact and drive change in cocoa producing origins. It is supervised by the Swiss Federal Foundation Supervisory Authority. Cocoa Horizons is an impact-driven program focused on cocoa farmer prosperity and helping build self-sustaining farming communities that protect nature and children. Its mission is to improve the livelihoods of cocoa farmers and their communities through the promotion of sustainable, entrepreneurial farming, improved productivity and community development. The Foundation is audited annually to verify its activities, maintain a transparent distribution of funds, and demonstrate compliance with Swiss federal regulations.

About Barry Callebaut Group (www.barry-callebaut.com)

The Zurich-based Barry Callebaut Group is the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality chocolate and cocoa products – from sourcing and processing cocoa beans to producing the finest chocolates, including chocolate fillings, decorations and compounds. The Barry Callebaut Group serves the entire food industry, from industrial food manufacturers to artisanal and professional users of chocolate, such as chocolatiers, pastry chefs, bakers, hotels, restaurants or caterers. The Group runs more than 60 production facilities worldwide and employs a diverse and dedicated global workforce of more than 12,000 people.

The Barry Callebaut Group is committed to make sustainable chocolate the norm by 2025 to help ensure future supplies of cocoa and improve farmer livelihoods. It supports the Cocoa Horizons Foundation in its goal to shape a sustainable cocoa and chocolate future.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210715005259/en/