May 11, 2009

SUCCESS Alliance Farmers Provide Beans for New Davao Specialty Dark Chocolate Bar

U.S.-based Askinosie Chocolate company recently launched its new product line “Davao 77% Dark Chocolate Bar,” made from cocoa beans produced by Davao City farmers in the Philippines, including ACDI/VOCA beneficiaries under our SUCCESS Alliance program. The bars are available now for sale in the U.S.

"We are excited about this new relationship with Askinosie and our SUCCESS Alliance farmers. It's an important step in connecting these smallholder farmers to markets so they can increase their incomes," Managing Director of Specialty Crops Terrence J. Ryan said.

In September 2008, Askinosie started buying organically produced cocoa beans from smallholder farmers in Davao City. ACDI/VOCA and its partners facilitated the purchase and consolidation of beans, working with farmer field school (FFS) groups to take advantage of their increased marketing power. Charita Puentespina of the Golden Sunset Farm, a SUCCESS Alliance beneficiary and supporter, organized the collection, processing, sorting and dispatching of the cocoa beans to Askinosie, which is based in Springfield, Missouri. Approximately 200 farmers, of whom approximately 90 percent are from SUCCESS Alliance FFSs, benefited from the purchase.

Askinosie offered a lucrative sale price of $0.52 per kilo of wet beans to the farmers—more than double the local market price and above the global market price. The company also covered the costs for fermentation, drying and transportation. Askinosie follows fair trade prac­tices of cocoa and will be giving 10 percent of the net profit from Davao chocolate sales back to the farmers as an incentive for continued production. In a resolution of commendation, the Davao City Council thanked Askinosie for naming this premium chocolate after the proud city.

ACDI/VOCA promotes a value chain approach to cocoa develop­ment through the SUCCESS Alliance, which is a public-private partnership active in Asia, Latin America and Africa. The SUCCESS Alliance comprises USAID, USDA, the World Cocoa Foundation (WCF), Mars, Inc., local partners and ACDI/VOCA. Askinosie represented a significant opportunity for Davao City farmers to connect directly to the specialty market.

The buzz about the bar has been positive. Leading chocolate blogger Casey Meshbesher gave high praise for it on his blog Chocolate Note: "Here is a chocolate that is near a masterwork. Close to epitomizing what fine chocolate is all about, a true evolution of flavor unfolding across the palate—reminiscent of forest, affecting your body—flavors changing moods, then back again. Great length on the finish, with a lingering note of blackberry."

To buy the chocolate, visit www.askinosie.com.

To find out more about ACDI/VOCA’s work in empowering smallholder cocoa farmers around the world, click here.