"It is high time for the cocoa trade to become a truly win‑win system".

European chocolate lovers noticed it right away: prices skyrocketed in 2025. The surge was directly linked to the extreme weather that hit cocoa farms in West Africa, already weakened after years of pressure.

In Côte d’Ivoire, producers had begun to hope they could finally sell their harvests at a good price. But the rest of the value chain simply cannot absorb such abrupt increases. Neither cooperatives like CPR Canaan, which buy cocoa directly from farming families, nor international buyers can handle shocks of that magnitude.

Price volatility ends up hurting everyone. When prices fall, producers struggle to earn even a basic income. When prices rise too sharply, the entire chain grinds to a halt, which ultimately harms producers as well, since selling their harvests is essential for their survival.

This volatility also prevents farmers from planning ahead. When prices rise, they consider investing. But if prices drop the following year, all their plans collapse. And yet, ageing plantations in Côte d’Ivoire – some as old as 50 years – desperately need investment. Many are diseased, yields are declining, and farmers rely increasingly on fertilisers… which are becoming more expensive every year.

The result? Cocoa farmers remain poor, exhausted, and discouraged. Meanwhile, workers are leaving the plantations for better‑paid sectors, especially gold extraction.

"Keep eating chocolate"

The only reliable way to improve farmers’ incomes in Côte d’Ivoire is through bonuses and premiums. That is why a project like Oxfam’s Bite to Fight, supported by Alterfin in its latest campaign, is so important. The 100 farmers who took part in this pilot project received premiums that made a real difference for their farms, their families, and their communities.

Every Bite to Fight chocolate bar contains cocoa from our cooperative, and our producers are proud of it.  

Our message to consumers? Keep eating chocolate – but consciously, remembering the people who worked so hard to produce it. It is high time for the cocoa trade to become a truly win‑win system.

And to Alterfin’s cooperators: thank you for supporting this campaign.

Not a co-op member yet? The campaign still applies! Follow your taste buds; right this way.