Corporate Social Responsibility Report - Mara Cocoa Sustainability

When the large pods are harvested, they are picked green. The growers then go through an extensive process to develop the flavor and fragrance characteristic to vanilla. According to the article “Vanilla! It’s Everywhere!” written by Gail Kay Haines, “they [the pods] must be ‘killed’ in hot water, ‘sweated’ in the sun, dried in the shade, and ‘conditioned’ in a closed box until they turn brown”. Furthermore, the overall development of harvesting natural-grown vanilla and selling it to the market may take nearly five years. On the other hand, though, the creation of chocolate does not take nearly as long as vanilla. The article “The Sweet History of Chocolate” written by Christopher Klein stated that in 1828, a Dutch chemist by the name of Coenraad Johannes van Houten had constructed and invented the Cocoa Press which had the ability of creating chocolate efficient and definitely not a lengthy process like the creation of vanilla. To make the creamy ingredient, “the cocoa press could squeeze the fatty cocoa butter from roasted cacao beans, leaving behind a dry cake that could be pulverized into a fine powder that could be mixed with liquids and other ingredients, poured into molds and solidified into edible, easily digestible chocolate” (Klein). The modern way of growing and producing chocolate has made it affordable for everyone, while growing natural vanilla is considerably a much more expensive

The premium chocolate industry is a large market in the United States and continues to grow around 10% annually. It is also populated with very strong

Headquartered in Mount Olive, New Jersey, U.S., Mars Chocolate is one of the world’s leading chocolate manufacturers and employs more than 15,000 Associates across 19 countries. They have thirty-four brands in total, including five billion-dollar global brands - M&M’S®, SNICKERS®, DOVE®/GALAXY®, MARS®/MILKY WAY® and TWIX®. Other leading brands include: 3 MUSKETEERS®, BALISTO®, BOUNTY®, MALTESERS® and REVELS® .

A significant portion of the Ivory Coast’s protected forests have been chopped down over the past few years to make room for illegal cocoa farms. (Doc D) [Ohio State University Professor W. Scott] McGraw and his fellow researchers surveyed 23 protected areas...All told, more than 74 percent of the supposedly protected forests the researchers surveyed had been taken over by cocoa farms. (Doc D) The Ivory Coast also underwent two civil wars between 2002 and 2011 which heavily affected the production of cocoa by about 247,000 metric tons. (Background Essay) The wars disrupted the planting of trees causing cocoa farmers to face less productivity to grow cocoa beans. Many of the cocoa trees are reaching the end of their productivity putting the productivity of cocoa beans at a slower rate. Even though the farmers are planting new trees, it takes three to five years for a cocoa tree to produce pods with the cocoa beans. (Background Essay) This deforestation along with hunting have heavily affected the Ivory Coast. Especially their agriculture and animals

There is a high bargaining power of suppliers because of the need of the key ingredients required for chocolate manufacturing and limited number of suppliers for this industry. Since cocoa trees require tropical climate, it forces the main producers in the west to import them from countries in West Africa or other hot places

Kit Kats are the most supreme because of the delicious chocolate coating.For example, expert Mikey Way, a leading expert in the company, states, “Back in 2015 I asked the workers what they liked most about the product, including some staff 91% of the workers and staff liked the chocolate coating.” This proves my statement because even the experts and employees MAKING the bars liked it. Also, the article More about Mars state's, “This article may be about Mars Bars, but Kit Kats are like the planet mars, fascinating, in so many different ways. One reason they so fantastic is because of their yummy chocolate coating.” This quote shows that even astronomers that study planets think that kit kats are good. Next, the

208). The international market had an increasing need for reliable and homogenous product, resulting in nearly identical practices on farms throughout the country (Losch, 2002, p. 208). When Côte d’Ivoire became independent, it resulted in a dramatic spike in production that would help make the country become a market leader (Losch, 2002, p. 208). By the 1980s, the cocoa sector had been received the local government’s blessing and gained a reputation for quality mass production (Losch, 2002, p. 210). This reputation was well-merited; Côte d’Ivoire has supplied almost 50 percent of internationally traded cocoa since the 1970s and continues to do so to this day (Losch, 2002, p. 206).

Mars Canada Incorporated is a widely known and loved brand throughout Canada. They have become so beloved and popular with Canadian’s over the years, and a lot of it has to do with the following factors of their business environment and how they have responded to said factors: Social, Global and Competitive. All of the mentioned factors not only affect Mars Canada Incorporated, but almost all business in existence.

10. To achieve 1 million hits on the Cocoa Delights ‘Get in touch with your dark side’ microsite by the end of the campaign.

Moreover, consumers and employees are also demanding chocolate companies to follow good corporate social responsibility practices in addressing the environmental concerns in terms of how to design its packaging, procurement and operational decisions. Human rights concerns are also high in terms of consumer expectations of chocolate companies with respect of forced child labour in West Africa. All of these driving forces - societal concerns, attitudes and change in lifestyles, are strong enough to shape up the competition and impose the constraint on chocolate industry profitability and competitive survival.

For over one hundred years, there has been only one company that has been on top of the candy industry in North America; Hershey. With over 14,000 employees, serving 70 countries worldwide and net sales of $6.6 billon, Hershey has come out on top. The Hershey company began in 1894 by Milton Hershey. The company has over 8 factories, but their main headquarters resides in Pennsylvania. The beloved Hershey milk chocolate bar has been a favorite by many, but would it still be if more people knew how it came to be that? One of chocolates main ingredients is cocoa. Cocoa, or cocoa beans come from tropical areas around the world, but is mostly found on the Ivory Coast in West Africa. Hershey, along with Mars and Nestle are the three major companies that buy their cocoa from West Africa, but with further investigation, it has been known that over 4,400 children work on those cocoa farms that they buy from.

1. Cocoa delight has target like by 2016 they want to see cocoa delight as a being significant retail presence in every corner of Australia starting with 22 stores in Melbourne area and growing to 100 stores in Australia. They need to change our focus from local suppliers of service to national ones and they also thinking about opportunities to save money by gaining a wider geographic benefit and choosing with a national reach.

Ethel’s Chocolate lounges are chocolate or candy based restaurants that where created by the Mars corporation. The Mars Corporation is the same corporation that makes the famous M&M candy. In the case study on Ethel’s Chocolate Lounges we learn that the mars corporation has made many modifications to better the chocolate lounges. They strive be more like the Starbucks, and to sell the experience of having great atmosphere, gourmet

Theo Chocolate was first established in March 2006 by Debra Music and Joe Whinney in the Fremont- neighborhood of Seattle, Washington (theochocolate.com, our story). For Theo, they want to do more than just chocolate. It is about the land, the people, the dedication, and the interconnected relationships that bind all of them together. That is why Joe Whinney- Theo’s founder- first pioneered the supply of organic cocoa beans into the United Strates in 1994. Traveling and working in the tropics of Central America and Africa, Joe fell in love with the land and

After a thorough analysis of Apollo Foods business situation, a decision plan regarding the launch of a new chocolate product for its new branch acquisition Montreaux Chocolate USA has become clear. This decision plan is based on the following key challenges and marketing issues that need to be addressed. These challenges and marketing issues can be best summed up by a decision on what brand the product will be home to, whom the product will be marketed to, the ingredients and formulation of the product, the packaging of the product, can the product perform well enough in a sales forecast plan to exceed a $30 million dollar hurdle rate, and finally to launch or to test market the product. After reviewing Apollo Food’s data, their market research findings, and sales forecasts. A decision plan that addresses all of the key issues and marketing points has been created and will be