More Tree Planted

COCOA TREE ALSO LOVE COMPANY

You are here because you scanned the unique QR code on your KitKat®. We're happy you did, because now we can tell you about all the good your break is helping to do!

See that KitKat® you're munching on?

It is part of an innovative program that, among other things, distributes forest and fruit plants to cocoa farming families in Côte d'Ivoire and incentivizes them to plant and maintain them.

By rewarding families for positive agricultural practices, you not only increase their income, but also benefit the local environment.

More Tree Planted

PRIMA DI APPROFONDIRE LE ORIGINI DELL’INCOME ACCELERATOR PROGRAM...

Let's show you what we've accomplished so far... In 2022 alone, the Nestle Cocoa Plan distributed over 1 million fruit and forest trees ¹ . That's six zeros! These trees were distributed directly to the cocoa farmers we work with in Côte d'Ivoire. With the income accelerator program, we wanted to capitalize on this experience and plant even more trees.

You may be wondering, why is this so important?

Because additional fruit and forest trees provide much-needed shade for cocoa plants, reducing the effects of climate change. Additionally, planting a diverse range of trees helps support the area's biodiversity, improves soil health and, in turn, supports the local ecosystem. You can therefore say that they are literally a good company for cocoa.

So how does the income accelerator work?

We encourage farmers to plant a minimum of 10 trees per hectare during the first year of the project. As with our chocolate bars, the process is well structured. We deliver the trees to the cocoa plantations and, once planted, the incentive is delivered directly into the hands of the family through a mobile payment.

Furthermore, these incentives are the same regardless of the size of the farm; therefore, even the smallest farms can earn money, ensuring that no farmer is left behind. Our involvement doesn't stop once the trees are planted. With the support of our partners, we monitor them to ensure they grow and prosper

More Tree Planted

QUANTI ALTRI ALBERI SONO STATI PIANTATI GRAZIE ALL’INCOME ACCELERATOR?

The goal was to plant 100,000 trees in the first year of the project, but we have already planted over 200,000. We intend to grow this number ever more, just like our trees, with an ambition to plant another 300,000 trees in the next year. We believe that the more fruit and forest trees that are planted, the better it will be for cocoa farmers, their families and, of course, for cocoa too.

So far the program has been extended to 10,000 cocoa farming families (and not only) in Côte d'Ivoire. But it doesn't stop there! This is a step forward with the ambition to further expand the reach of the programme. We intend to do this by first extending coverage into Côte d'Ivoire and entering Ghana, and then aiming to reach 160,000 cocoa farming families along our supply chain by 2030.

More Power to Woman

WOMAN ON A MISSION

The Income Accelerator Program isn't just about cocoa: we want to empower people too. It is universally known that when women play a more active role in society, everyone benefits.

In cocoa farming communities, it is still common for women to be completely dependent on their husbands financially. And unfortunately this is influenced by a wider imbalance of gender equality. If women were empowered to make decisions and support their families with a secondary income, they would not only strengthen families but also play an important role in combating child labor.

So here is another way we want to support the 10,000 cocoa farming families in Côte d'Ivoire. We are giving women in these communities more opportunities to succeed.

We are taking a holistic approach that is based on two main pillars: dividing incentives equally among heads of families and providing training on gender equality and income diversification.

More Power to Woman

SPLIT INCOME 50/50

To promote women's financial independence, the incentives of the income acceleration program are split 50% between the two heads of the family.

The woman's percentage is sent directly to her via bank transfer.

The target? Encourage gender equality, help partners share financial responsibilities and ultimately build more resilient families.

More Power to Woman

TRAINING AND INCOME DIVERSIFICATION

We are training women to start small businesses or activities that bring a second income to the family. These include beekeeping, raising livestock such as chickens and selling vegetables from community-managed gardens.

The Income Accelerator Program then distributes a 100 euro incentive for income diversification, an excellent launch pad for developing a new business idea.

Again, the money is securely sent directly to the women.

But gender justice is not just a women's issue. Using the Gender Action Learning System methodology, we are training women and men to recognize that they can achieve more and live better if they work together. A woman can cultivate. A man can help around the house. Together they can make sure their children are safe, fed, loved and educated.

We have also helped create savings and loan associations within communities. Self-administered and self-capitalized, these women-focused programs encourage savings and provide loans to small businesses. By breaking down financial barriers and building self-confidence, women can become changemakers in their communities.

Helping kids into school

Helping Kids Break into Education

You’re here because you’ve scanned the unique QR code on your KitKat (or maybe you just Googled it).

Well, we’re glad you did because now we can tell you all about the good your break is helping to do!

See that KitKat you’re currently munching on?

It’s part of an innovative program that increases income for cocoa-farming families in Côte d’Ivoire and supports their kids going to school. The income accelerator programme takes a unique, family-centred approach, with the ambition to deliver real and long-lasting impact to cocoa-farming families’ lives and futures. This innovative programme rewards the families for taking actions that not only help them increase their income, but also benefit the local environment and their community.

Helping kids into school

All parents hope for a brighter future for their kids, which ultimately starts with an education.

We want to support cocoafarming families’ kids to keep learning in school– or, in some cases, just get started.

We’ve learned a lot from the Nestlé Cocoa Plan which, since 2012, has helped protect 156,974 from the risk of child labour. The income accelerator programme now goes even further by incentivising families to enrol their kids in school, so we can make sure that the cost of schooling is no longer a major barrier to children’s education.

Within the income accelerator programme, cocoa farming-families can earn up to €100 for sending their kids to school. 50% of this is paid upfront, upon commitment from the parents to enrol their kids. The remaining 50% is paid, once it has been confirmed that their kids have been attending school regularly.

That’s it. And best of all, we pay this incentive directly in the hands of cocoafarming families, through mobile phone payments. It’s simple, it’s transparent and quick. We also support the kids by making sure they have what they need at school, such as providing school kits of stationery, pencils and books and school canteen subsidies.

Helping kids into school

By incentivising school attendance, we’re aiming to help many more kids kickstart their education.

So far, the program has been rolled out to 10,000 cocoafarming families (and counting) in Côte d’Ivoire.

It doesn’t stop there though! This is a step on the road to expand the program’s reach first in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana and then aiming to reach 160,000 cocoa-farming families in our supply chain by 2030.

Sustainably Sourced Cocoa

It is time to let you in on a secret…

Contrary to what you might think, cocoa pods aren't just a one-stop-shop for chocolate. They're transformed into several delicious ingredients that play an important role in your chocolate bar. They're the source of cocoa butter, cocoa powder, cocoa nibs and cocoa mass.

To make it a little easier to understand, check out the snappy visual we have below...

Sustainably Sourced Cocoa

Our ambition behind sustainably sourced cocoa

Our story begins with sustainably sourced cocoa, the most delicious ingredient in our KitKat^® bars. But wait a minute, what does it actually mean?

Let’s break it down from the moment the cocoa pod starts growing on the tree to the final bite of your chocolate treat.

Since the Nestlé^® Cocoa Plan was launched in 2009, we’ve been working in collaboration with cocoa-farming families to implement practices that aim to improve livelihoods in cocoa-farming communities. This includes practices such as helping cocoa farmers improve yields and quality through training and resources, as well as helping communities thrive by empowering women and promoting greater access to education.

KitKat^® was the first global brand at Nestlé^® to source all its cocoa from the Nestlé Cocoa Plan including certified farms*. This was the first step and paved the way for our sustainable cocoa supply chain today. But before going into more details, let’s focus on the cocoa pod.

* Cocoa sourced through the Nestlé Cocoa Plan includes volumes of Rainforest Alliance certified cocoa and Nestlé Cocoa Plan verified mass balance. Mass balance means that we purchased a volume of certified cocoa equivalent to the volume used in the product.
 

Sustainably Sourced Cocoa

But what does this have to do with sustainable cocoa?

Glad you asked, time to get into the details. We’ve done a lot with the Nestlé^® Cocoa Plan since 2009 and of course, we’ve learnt a lot too. These solid foundations allowed us to launch the innovative income accelerator programme and our ambition is to improve the livelihoods of cocoa-farming families.

The program rewards cocoa-farming families not just for the quantity and quality of their cocoa beans, but also for practices that can benefit the environment and local community. So far, the program has been rolled out to 10,000 cocoa-farming families (and counting) in Côte d’Ivoire. It doesn’t stop there though! This is a step on the road with the ambition to expand the program’s reach even further. First by extending our coverage in Côte d’Ivoire and entering in Ghana and then aiming to reach 160,000 cocoa-farming families in our supply chain by 2030.

The cocoa mass we use in our “Breaks For Good” KitKat^® bars comes from the income accelerator programme and is traceable from the group of farmers right through to our KitKat^® factories in Hamburg and Sofia.

What does that mean?

This is the exciting part. One way to think of it is that the cocoa beans from the program are isolated from the other beans to guarantee full segregation. It is like if they were travelling with a sort of virtual passport, which gets stamped at every stage of the cocoa's journey.

In this way we know that the cocoa mass in your KitKat bar has come from this innovative programme and can assure it has been sustainably sourced, including a Rainforest Alliance certification. This is a first step towards full segregation of our cocoa ingredients as we continue working with our suppliers to increase segregated volumes and building on the expansion of the income accelerator program.

Pictures are worth a thousand words, right? So, this might explain it better:

More Money for Cocoa Farming Families

Breaks and incentives coming together

You’re here because you’ve scanned the unique QR code on your KitKat (or googled it). We’re glad you did because now we can tell you all about the good your break is helping to do!

See that KitKat you’re currently munching on? It’s part of an innovative program that aims to increase the income for cocoafarming families in Côte d’Ivoire.

Our income accelerator program takes a unique family-centred approach, with the ambition to deliver real and long-lasting impact to cocoa-farming families’ lives and futures. This innovative program rewards cocoa-farming families for practices that not only help them increase their income, but also benefit the local environment and their community.

More Money for Cocoa Farming Families

Four-fingers, four pillars

Just like the four-fingers in a KitKat, we have four pillars that bring the income accelerator program to life. These four pillars are centred around good practices and if all are achieved, cocoa-farming families can earn up to 500 euros in extra income a year:

1. Helping children from the community, aged 6 – 16, into school.

2. Improving the way farming is done, such as pruning, to increase crop productivity.

3. Planting forest and fruit trees on cocoa farms, which helps cocoa trees resist climate change and adds income for the farmers.

4. Empowering women to start businesses. This can include growing other crops; raising livestock such as chickens, beekeeping, or selling vegetables from community led gardens.

More Money for Cocoa Farming Families

How are these incentives paid?

We pay these incentives directly into the hands of the cocoa-farming families. In fact, we snap it in two – half to each head of the household. This way, the incentives contribute towards gender equity and are more likely to be reinvested in education and community benefit.

By offering immediate financial benefits through these incentives, our ambition is to create an environment that enables cocoa-farming families to build a better life for themselves and future generations. You could say that we’re not just trying to make the world sweeter but help make it brighter too.

So far, we are working with 10,000 cocoa-farming families (and counting) in Côte d’Ivoire through the income accelerator program. And it doesn’t stop there, this is a step on the road to expand the program’s reach to Ghana and actively work to help 160,000 cocoa-farming families by 2030.