Over the years, Blommer has developed and executed sustainability programs with trusted financial and implementation partners, that have benefited cocoa farmers in the 3 main cocoa producing areas across the world, from Asia to West Africa to the Americas.
The Sustainable Trade Initiative brings governments, companies, CSOs and financiers together in action driven coalitions. They orchestrate the powers of law, of entrepreneurship and investments to work together to create solutions for global sustainability issues at scale. They convene public-private partnerships to jointly set ambitious targets and formulate co-investment plans that unlock scaling of sustainable production & trade to deliver large scale impact on the Sustainable Development Goals. More at idhsustainabletrade.com/sectors/cocoa/.
Between 2014 and 2017, we partnered with IDH on a capacity building/productivity improvement program targeting more than 9,000 cocoa farmers in 6 regions in Côte d’Ivoire. The objective was to enable farmers to achieve increased yields through application of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), rejuvenation of farms, enhanced organizational capacity and improved skills level in business and farm management.
Caritas shares the mission of the Catholic Church to serve the poor and to promote charity and justice throughout the world. Caritas strives for a world where the voices of the poor are heard and acted upon, where each person is free to flourish and live in peace and dignity and where the natural environment given by God is managed responsibly and sustainably in the interests of the entire human family. More at caritas.org.
Blommer’s program with Caritas focuses on empowering women, by strengthening women groups through a wide set of activities. To date, 434 women benefitted from literacy classes, 15ha of food crops have been planted, 4 chicken coops constructed and 14 Village Saving and Loan Associations (VSLA) set up with 322 women.
Heifer is on a mission to end hunger and poverty in a sustainable way by supporting and investing alongside local farmers and their communities. Their programs support entrepreneurs around the world, creating lasting change from the ground up. It begins with a seed investment of livestock or agriculture, followed by mentorship to help project participants build a business, and ultimately to gain access to supply chains and markets. More at heifer.org/.
In 2017 a new project was launched by Blommer and Heifer International. The project supports 2,000 cocoa farming families in the Amazon region of Ecuador, and the consortium will improve opportunities for rural cocoa farming associations by addressing business and production- capacity challenges as well as social, environmental and food security issues families face.
Launched in 2012 in partnership with the USDA and the Fine Chocolate Industry Association, the Heirloom Cacao Preservation Fund (HCP) formed in response to the global pressures of environmental change, deforestation, and economic influences threatening the world’s supply of high quality, flavorful cacao. Recognizing these endangered cacao trees are the foundation for not only delicious chocolate, but also the livelihood of many farmers and farming communities, the HCP is the first initiative to identify and map the world’s finest cacao and designate growers of these endangered trees.
Blommer was a member of the Funding Circle that allowed HCP to launch in 2012. HCP now counts 16 “Heirloom” farmers and farmer organizations across 10 countries, 15,000 Heirloom seedlings planted as well as 7 nursery programs.
More at hcpcacao.org
Helen Keller International is a global health organization dedicated to eliminating preventable vision loss, malnutrition, and diseases of poverty. The organization delivers life changing health solutions to vulnerable families in places where the need is great but access to care is limited. More at hki.org/.
With the support of the HKI, we implemented a program on early-childhood development in partnership with the Jacobs Foundation and the TRECC program. The 12-month pilot with Helen Keller International, the Jacobs Foundation and TRECC program which ended in October 2018 and took place in 6 villages in western Côte d’Ivoire, reached an est. 22,136 direct and indirect beneficiaries. The goal of the project was to improve early childhood development outcomes of children in the first 1,000 days of life through improved nutrition, hygiene, and appropriate play and stimulation through a scalable, community-based approach, using models proven separately in other contexts. Training provided by the project supports improved parenting skills that ensure children are clean, nutritiously fed, and nurtured during a critical window of their early development.
The Jacobs Foundation invests in the future of young people so that they become socially responsible and productive members of society. In order to achieve this goal, children and youth must be given better opportunities for positive development and equitable access to education. More at jacobsfoundation.org.
With the support of the Jacobs Foundation, we implemented a program on early-childhood development in partnership with Hellen Keller International and the TRECC program.
The TRECC program - Transforming Education in Cocoa Communities - began in 2015 when the Board of Directors of the Jacobs Foundation decided to invest 50 million Swiss francs in this innovative initiative, which seeks to improve the living conditions of children and young people in Côte d'Ivoire by promoting quality education and leveraging the contribution of the private sector. The TRECC program focuses on early childhood development, preschool and primary education, and youth training. More at treccprogram.org/.
In 2020, Blommer along with its parent Company Fuji Oil, joined two initiatives led by the Jacobs foundation. The first initiative, Child Learning and Education Facility (CLEF), aims to reach 5 million children and 10 million parents in cocoa growing areas and beyond, focusing on access to quality primary education. The second initiative, also based in Cote d’Ivoire, is the Early Learning and Nutrition Facility (ELAN). ELAN is designed to provide quality services and training in early childhood development and nutrition to 1.3 million children below the age of 5 and their caregivers. Learn more at jacobsfoundation.org/en/activity/clef-elan/.
The US Agency for International Development promotes and demonstrates democratic values abroad, and advance a free, peaceful, and prosperous world. USAID mission is to support partners to become self-reliant and capable of leading their own development journeys. They promote American prosperity through investments that expand markets for U.S. exports; create a level playing field for U.S. businesses; and support more stable, resilient, and democratic societies. They stand with people when disaster strikes or crisis emerges as the world leader in humanitarian assistance. More at usaid.gov.
The program implemented with USAID provided training in Good Agricultural Practices to 20,000 cocoa farmers in Indonesia.
