Amsterdam, 4 June 2024 - For more than a decade, Chocolatemakers have been crafting organic, fair trade chocolate bars that protect and restore our planet piece by piece. An investment from existing impact investor DOEN Participaties and new investor Fair Capital Partners Impact Investing will allow Chocolatemakers to expand, and extend their operations into Germany. This will enable the company to bring about even more necessary changes for cocoa farmers, the climate and biodiversity.
Chocolatemakers make 100% organic, fair trade chocolate, and have control of the entire production chain. The organic chocolate is sustainably produced in a carbon-neutral "bean to bar" chain, working directly with farmers who earn a living wage. Managing the whole chain ultimately leads to an organic chocolate with a wonderful flavour. It's a flavour that is now appreciated by many socially aware consumers. Chocolatemakers now boast an extensive range, including vegan chocolate and chocolate letters. Their chocolate is available at organic supermarkets such as Ekoplaza, Odin, Crisp, and through their own webshop.
Expanding into Germany
DOEN Participaties - the investment fund of the DOEN Foundation - has been a shareholder of Chocolatemakers since 2015. The investment at the time was used to make the current factory in Amsterdam possible. This new investment, in which Investor Fair Capital Partners Impact Investing have also joined in, will allow Chocolatemakers to expand into Germany. This expansion will enable Chocolatemakers to grow further and make organic chocolate the new standard in the chocolate category, making even more of an impact.
Merijn ten Thije, Impact Investing Principal at DOEN Participaties: “Chocolatemakers is unique and shows that things can and really should be done differently! By which I mean redesigning the entire chain in a way that actually benefits the farmer, biodiversity and the climate. That's why we are happy to support this at DOEN Participaties.”
At Chocolatemakers they are looking forward to the new plans. "We have set up a business that is, at its core, incredibly simple and that is why it makes so much of an impact. With every chocolate bar we sell, we increase our positive impact on farmers, the climate and biodiversity. Each bar directly helps to protect the rainforest in the countries of origin, and provides for the livelihood of the cocoa farmers. That is the most positive way of growing and we are happy with that, ” says Rodney Nikkels, founder of Chocolatemakers.
For farmers, the climate and biodiversity
Chocolate makers pay cocoa farmers a living income and ensure that they are educated and trained. Cocoa is produced free of slavery and child labour. The cocoa beans come to the Netherlands virtually emission-free, on the sailing ship Tres Hombres. Once they arrive in Amsterdam, Chocolatemakers turns the beans into delicious organic chocolate in their own chocolate factory. The roof consists entirely of solar panels. The processing and packaging of the chocolate is carbon-neutral. Chocolatemakers produce no waste and the packaging can be turned into compost. In the six countries where they source cocoa, Chocolatemakers work with farmers' co-operatives to restore land and nature.
