Jakarta, Indonesia — Mondelēz International, Inc. has opened a state-of-the-art cocoa crop science technical center in Pasuruan, Indonesia. The center enables the company to develop and promote better cocoa farming practices, continuing its work with farming communities, suppliers and partners around the world. The company says this represents an important step in its mission to lead the future of snacking by securing a sustainable future for high-quality cocoa.
As one of the world’s largest buyers of cocoa for chocolate, the sustainability of the cocoa farming industry is key to Mondelēz’s long-term growth in Asia and around the world, the company reports.
“Cocoa is at the heart of chocolate, and demand is growing, with Asia set to become the second-largest consumer of cocoa ingredients. Mondelēz International is determined to meet that demand in the right way by creating a thriving cocoa sector,” says Maurizio Brusadelli, executive vice-president and president, Asia, Middle East and Africa for Mondelēz. “Consumers also expect more from their favorite brands like Cadbury Dairy Milk and Milka chocolate. People want delicious snacks they feel good about eating, know where ingredients come from and produced in ways that are better for the environment and communities. We need to secure a sustainable future for high-quality cocoa and other raw materials we use to create the snacks our consumers love.”
The investment in the Pasuruan Cocoa Technical Center focuses on cocoa crop science research and development. It supports sustainable, scalable cocoa farming practices and will work in partnership with Mondelēz’s global cocoa sustainability program, Cocoa Life. By the end of 2019, Cocoa Life had reached 175,017 cocoa farmers globally: 43,000 of these are Indonesian cocoa farmers, the company reports.
“We’re on a mission to drive positive change by creating a future of sustainable snacking and that includes using our global scale to create meaningful, lasting impact,” says Rob Hargrove, executive vice-president, research, development and quality. “The Pasuruan Cocoa Technical Center is our global home for cocoa crop science initiatives. It brings local and international cocoa crop science experts together with farmers and suppliers in the cocoa growing areas of Sulawesi, Sumatra, and East Java. Our scientists can go from the labs at the center to field sites where we have research collaborations and on-farm activities through Cocoa Life.”
The center’s focus on cocoa crop science and technical solutions that support high-yielding, sustainable and resilient farming practices is a commitment to the company’s 2025 goal of sourcing 100 percent of cocoa for chocolate through Cocoa Life, the company notes, adding it is on track to meet that target with 63 percent of cocoa for its chocolate brands currently sourced through Cocoa Life.
