Partnership with Kallari Cooperative
Storck has been buying cocoa from the Kallari Cooperative of Ecuador since 2022.
The members of the Kallari Cooperative located in the Amazon region grow cocoa in what are called chakras. In this traditional farming method, the cocoa grows in an agroforestry system along with numerous crop plants and the protected forest.
The 850 mainly indigenous members farm their small fields, one to two hectares in size, with up to 100 different crop plants such as cocoa, bananas, guayusa, yucca and vanilla. Organically and certified with the regional chakra seal. Ecological and biodiverse agricultural practices distinguish their traditional cocoa farming method. Plants and trees grow in a beneficial community, providing each other with nutrients and shade. There is no need for pesticides because the opportunities for pests are minimised.
The farming method is in harmony with the rainforest and, in addition to the cocoa harvest, produces many other varieties of fruits and vegetables to feed the local population. Thanks to their sale, this diversification helps increase the farmers’ income.
Through the long-term procurement of cocoa beans from this agroforestry system, Storck strengthens Kallari with premiums and provides on-site support, for example, with post-processing of the harvest.
The cocoa beans purchased by Storck are processed directly in the company’s own RISTOK fermentation centre in Ecuador before being shipped to Germany for chocolate production.
