SOURCING
The Aalst Chocolate approach to sourcing and sustainability.
"QUALITY CHOCOLATE STARTS WITH QUALITY CACAO."
Richard Lee,
Founder & Senior Advisor of
Aalst Chocolate
AT THE HEART OF THE HARVEST:
At Aalst Chocolate we believe that quality chocolate starts with quality cocoa. We go to great lengths to source the raw materials for our products from reputable and sustainably managed suppliers in West Africa and Latin America. The cocoa beans we select are of the highest grades, just as we know you’d want them to be.
Beans from various sources are artfully mixed according to our proprietary recipes, merging both traditional and modernist approaches to produce quality you can taste. By blending cocoa beans from different regions, we are able to produce chocolate with distinctive and consistent flavours.
Aalst Chocolate also offers chocolate based on single origin beans for customers who desire the unique characteristics of cocoa from a particular region. West African harvests, for instance, are known for their rich ‘body’, while Latin American beans exude delicate fruity or floral aromas. Specialty plantations in Ecuador, Peru, Madagascar and Ghana yield beans with exotic flavours that confer a distinctive character to your culinary creations. With Aalst Chocolate your every desire is a reality.
A SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY:
With the demand for cocoa rising faster than its supply, it’s imperative to act responsibly as Asia’s largest supplier of quality chocolate. In order to meet both present and future demand, we strongly believe in the need to wisely manage our cocoa resources. We cultivate a broad network of suppliers in key cocoa-growing regions so that you will enjoy the assurance of a robust and reliable supply chain that delivers even in the event of unforeseeable disruptions.
But it is not enough to merely ensure a reliable supply of chocolate, it is equally important to act responsibly towards the regions which supply this sought-after product. Aalst Chocolate works closely with farmers, traders, NGOs, industry partners and other stakeholders to tackle the challenges we face in common. Through regular training, consultation and dialogue, we strive to develop mutually rewarding solutions that will yield gains in quality and savings that benefit both local communities and our customers
SUSTAINABLE COCOA
Aalst Chocolate is now part of Cargill and has adopted the Cargill's Cocoa Promise initiative.
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Cargill’s Cocoa Promise is a commitment to help cocoa farmers build more resilient livelihoods, empower farmers and their communities, and improve the sustainability of cocoa production.
Aalst Chocolate will leverage on the Cocoa Promise to further improve our current sustainability program and drive positive change in the cocoa supply chain.
THE CARGILL COCOA PROMISE
Evolution of the Cargill Cocoa Promise
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The Cargill Cocoa Promise was established in 2012 as a formal, future-looking and action-oriented framework for its global sustainability activities, building on 10 years of experience in the field with farmers and farm organizations. In 2017, it introduced its Sustainability Goals, aligning ambitions with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This framework has allowed Cargill to broaden its scope to encompass its indirect cocoa supply chain and how it sources other ingredients used to produce chocolate.