We were delighted to welcome the Dutch Minister of Social Affairs and Employment, Eddy van Hijum, along with Chris Beetge and Roel van Poppel from Ofi Group to our Amsterdam site this week.
The visit highlighted the vital role our bespoke quayside supply chain operations play in unloading cocoa beans coming into the port from farms in Africa and South America to delivering them to chocolate producers here in Europe.
Following the visit, Eddy van Hijum shared an update of his own on LinkedIn:
"Do you know where chocolate comes from?
Many chocolate products are made in the Netherlands, but the cocoa beans come from plantations in Ivory Coast and Ghana, among others. After harvesting, the beans are transported to the Netherlands, where they are further processed into chocolate as we find it here in the store. The path that cocoa travels through different companies is also called a trade chain.
Yesterday I talked to companies and civil society organisations about this global cocoa trade chain during a visit to the port area of Amsterdam. No less than 20% of the world trade in cocoa beans passes through the Port of Amsterdam, about 1.1 billion kilos per year.
This trade chain also has a downside. In some producing countries, children still work on cocoa plantations. We talked about the challenges and how we can ensure a fair and sustainable chain, with good working conditions for everyone. Something that requires commitment from governments and cocoa-producing communities as well as from all companies in a supply chain. The international eradication of child labour is a priority for the Netherlands within the International Labour Organisation (ILO). I will certainly take the useful insights with me there."
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