Commitment
Philosophy

Sustainable projects in the areas of origin of cacao

We cultivate a fair, transparent and personal working relationship with the cacao farmers in the countries of origin. Furthermore, we support them with social and financial projects that are beneficial to nature and offer economic opportunities to the local community.

Selected investments in the future

We invest in selected projects not only in the countries of origin, but also in our immediate surroundings. For example, we support the promotion of young talent in the bakery-confectionery sector or participate in climate protection and energy efficiency concepts.

Health insurance for cacao farmers and their families

Elucid

The majority of smallholders in cacao’s countries of origin either have no access to comprehensive healthcare or they cannot afford it. In collaboration with our customers, our partners at the origin, support from the Swiss platform for sustainable cocoa “SWISSCO” and our implementation partner Elucid, Felchlin is giving cacao farmers and their families access to professional healthcare.

Payment flows and health and socioeconomic impacts can be transparently tracked in real time via a digital platform. All Felchlin customers are able to take part in the project and therefore contribute to a healthy and sustainable supply chain.

Akwaaba Project

The Akwaaba project ensures access to healthcare for 1'600 cocoa farmers and their families in the Eastern Region of Ghana while collecting highly granular data to monitor the impact on human health and on the elimination of poverty and child labour.

Akwaaba – Kakaoplattform

SALAMA MATEZA

With the Salama Mateza project, Max Felchlin AG connects 880 cocoa farmers and their families to comprehensive health coverage. This is to ensure their access to quality essential health services and protect them from medical impoverishment by reducing out-of-pocket expenses for healthcare. The digital health financing platform allows for financial inclusion in healthcare even in very remote areas.

Salama Mateza – Kakaoplattform

Akwaaba Elucid Web
Akwaaba Elucid Web 2
M Tomady Sim Karten

Geo protects the rainforest

Wildcacao from Bolivia

In the north of Bolivia, hundreds of small forest islands rise from the savannah and wild cacao trees grow on them. Around 800 families from the Beni region harvest the fruits, ferment and dry them. These unique beans serve as the heart of the Grand Cru Bolivia chocolates.

Protection with pleasure

The association "GEO protects the rainforest" supports the marketing of these precious chocolates: Because if the wild cacao trees are an important source of income for the local people, they also protect the forest islands - for example from loggers and intensive cattle breeding.

Bolivien
Bolivia 45 Titel

Our commitment to talent

Meilleur Apprenti de France Chocolaterie Confiserie

We are pleased to support the «Meilleur Apprenti de Franche Chocolaterie Confiserie» competition again this year as Gold Partner. After a successful collaboration in 2022, we are excited to continue supporting young talents on their way to becoming the best in their field.

As a niche producer of the finest couvertures, we recognise each piece of chocolate as a small work of art and would like to make our contribution to enabling apprentices to fully develop their creativity.

Meilleur Ouvrier de France Chocolatier-Confiseur

We are a proud partner of the 28th edition of the «Meilleur Ouvrier de France Chocolatier-Confiseur». Through our repeated partnership of this prestigious examination, we want to help support talented craftsmen and passionate artists.

We are delighted to promote and celebrate the excellence, innovation and creativity of the best chocolatiers and confectioners in France.

GaultMillau title sponsor "Patissier of the Year

Felchlin is GaultMillau's partner in the "Patissier of the Year" award and has the connection to the best dessert artists in the country. This year we congratulate Othmane Khoris on his well-deserved title and wish him all the best for the future.

SBC Sponsorenclub for Future

Felchlin is the main sponsor of the sponsor club of Swiss bakers-confectioners and thus promotes young professionals at national (SwissSkills) and international (WorldSkills) professional competitions. The support secures the participation financially and creates optimal competition conditions. The successes of the competitors are an incentive for the next generation of professionals and thus ensure that the sector has competent specialists and managers.

Logo MAF Chocolatier Confiseur WEB
Logo mécène simple WEB
Gault Millau Othmane Khoris
SBC Sponsorenclub for future WEB

GALLIKER GREEN LOGISTICS SUPPORTING ASSOCIATION

Responsibility for reducing CO2 emissions goes above and beyond the production site

As an internationally operative company that imports raw materials and then sells its products both at home and abroad, we wish to help diminish CO2 emissions not just solely at our production site but also, wherever possible, on the conveyance routes.

Using this rationale, we are a partner of the Galliker Green Logistics supporting association.

During these times, CO2 neutral transports are a prerequisite, however, they are the more expensive alternative to conventional transport services.

Galliker Transport AG has launched an initiative, with which it wants to offset these additional costs together with sustainably-minded and suitably inclined partners, and thus augment the use of sustainable concepts and technology to achieve a breakthrough.

Galliker is our partner in the areas of national and international forwarding, and additionally provides an extensive part of the warehousing and warehouse logistics services for our Felchlin products.

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Zertifikat Galliker 2023 Web 2

Felchlin Cacao Fund

Felchlin's Cacao Fund is used to support schools, stem the rural exodus, procure cacao plants and generally improve quality, while sustainably supporting people and nature in the region of origin. For every tonne of cacao sold, Felchlin transfers a contribution to a foundation account set up for this purpose. The projects listed below have already been successfully implemented thanks to the Cacao Fund:

Research in Costa Rica

The Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza (CATIE) in Costa Rica is working on improving the virus resistance of cacao fruits and researching into new quality concepts and ways of improving cacao’s adaptability to climate change. Felchlin is participating in the research, whilst helping implement the results at the local plantations to ensure healthy harvests and enhance the income and living conditions of the farming families in the region.

COMPOSTING IN GRENADA

Thanks to support from the Cacao Fund, Grenada received a local composting facility. A significant step towards successful value creation in agriculture and a long-term benefit for the natural environment and the farmers: high-quality compost firstly conserves the soil and secondly stimulates growth on the cultivated land.

Tree Nursery Sambirano

In 2017, Felchlin launched a project for the women's community in Ambalavelona, the area where our cacao is grown. This organisation was founded by employees of our partner and is actively involved in cacao at the local level. The aim of the project is to financially support the local women's community in setting up a tree nursery for cocoa trees. Thanks to the project, an infrastructure is created to raise young cacao trees with the help of our partner's knowledge. The organisation then sells the young cocoa seedlings to the local farmers, who in turn provide us with the cocoa as raw material.

School in Madagascar

With a school built in 2014 in the north of Madagascar, Felchlin supports the people in the area of origin Ambalavelona-Ambanja. Aspiring cacao farmers and agronomy students have the opportunity to attend courses on cacao cultivation. In addition to the construction of the new school premises, Felchlin designed and financed suitable teaching materials in the form of learning booklets for the students in Ambalavelona and the surrounding area. These describe how cacao is grown, so that the students gain important knowledge about regional agriculture and the cultivation of quality cacao. The lessons are taught by our partner in Sambirano.

Organic Cacao from Ghana

Yayra Glover, born and raised in Ghana, studied in Switzerland and started his family here. He had the vision of generating a secure income for the farmers in his home country through the sustainable cultivation of organic cocoa and thus counteracting poverty and the rural exodus. With the approval of the Ghana Cocoa Board, Yayra Glover was the first person to be allowed to sell cocoa from the Suhum District directly to Felchlin and has done pioneering work with the whole project. You can find out more about this project in the documentary film "Zartbitter".

Planting of cacao trees in Ecuador

With the tree project in Ecuador, Felchlin directly supported the planting of young cacao trees in the Aprocane cooperative in 2014/2015. The trained forester Henrris Castillo Mina was the project manager on site. He carefully took care of the seedlings and incorporated his knowledge of sustainability and the best locations for the plants when planting the several thousand cacao trees.

Engagemet B Internet
Grenada
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Research in Costa Rica

The Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza (CATIE) in Costa Rica is working on improving the virus resistance of cacao fruits and researching into new quality concepts and ways of improving cacao’s adaptability to climate change. Felchlin is participating in the research, whilst helping implement the results at the local plantations to ensure healthy harvests and enhance the income and living conditions of the farming families in the region.

Engagemet B Internet

COMPOSTING IN GRENADA

Thanks to support from the Cacao Fund, Grenada received a local composting facility. A significant step towards successful value creation in agriculture and a long-term benefit for the natural environment and the farmers: high-quality compost firstly conserves the soil and secondly stimulates growth on the cultivated land.

Grenada

Tree Nursery Sambirano

In 2017, Felchlin launched a project for the women's community in Ambalavelona, the area where our cacao is grown. This organisation was founded by employees of our partner and is actively involved in cacao at the local level. The aim of the project is to financially support the local women's community in setting up a tree nursery for cocoa trees. Thanks to the project, an infrastructure is created to raise young cacao trees with the help of our partner's knowledge. The organisation then sells the young cocoa seedlings to the local farmers, who in turn provide us with the cocoa as raw material.

Header nachhaltigkeit

School in Madagascar

With a school built in 2014 in the north of Madagascar, Felchlin supports the people in the area of origin Ambalavelona-Ambanja. Aspiring cacao farmers and agronomy students have the opportunity to attend courses on cacao cultivation. In addition to the construction of the new school premises, Felchlin designed and financed suitable teaching materials in the form of learning booklets for the students in Ambalavelona and the surrounding area. These describe how cacao is grown, so that the students gain important knowledge about regional agriculture and the cultivation of quality cacao. The lessons are taught by our partner in Sambirano.

Neue schule slide 1

Organic Cacao from Ghana

Yayra Glover, born and raised in Ghana, studied in Switzerland and started his family here. He had the vision of generating a secure income for the farmers in his home country through the sustainable cultivation of organic cocoa and thus counteracting poverty and the rural exodus. With the approval of the Ghana Cocoa Board, Yayra Glover was the first person to be allowed to sell cocoa from the Suhum District directly to Felchlin and has done pioneering work with the whole project. You can find out more about this project in the documentary film "Zartbitter".

101116 6100

Planting of cacao trees in Ecuador

With the tree project in Ecuador, Felchlin directly supported the planting of young cacao trees in the Aprocane cooperative in 2014/2015. The trained forester Henrris Castillo Mina was the project manager on site. He carefully took care of the seedlings and incorporated his knowledge of sustainability and the best locations for the plants when planting the several thousand cacao trees.

Baumprojekt slide 1

as a reliable buyer, Felchlin guarantees Cacao producers a fair price, which enables the Sustainable and Careful Cultivation of the raw ingedient.

Adriana Sosa, Ecuador