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Article

2 Aug 2007

Author:
Jenny Wiggins, Financial Times

Ethical future of chocolate is Divine [Ghana]

Divine Chocolate…believes that it has found a competitive edge: giving the growers of its cocoa beans a stake in its business and connecting them with customers…some 45 per cent is owned by the people who grow the cocoa beans that make its chocolate… [A] £1m fine levied on Cadbury last month for selling chocolate contaminated with salmonella - the highest ever for a food safety offence - shows the price companies can pay for becoming complacent…[Divine] argues that by giving producers of raw ingredients a financial stake in the business, consumers of the end product can connect more closely with the company...Divine is now owned by the co-operative, Dutch financial and development group Oikocredit, fairtrade group Twin Trading and aid agency Christian Aid. [also refers to Asda, The Body Shop (part of L'Oréal), Co-op, Euromonitor, L'Oréal, Mars, Nestlé, Starbucks, Tesco, Twin Trading, Waitrose, Wholefoods]