Kit Kat to go Fairtrade
Nestlé, has announced that their KitKat product will soon carry the Fairtrade mark, and, by doing so, cocoa suppliers in the Ivory Coast richer by several hundreds of thousands of pounds.
The full range of KitKat products will carry the logo from as soon as mid-January. The move will provide cocoa farmers with a minimum price per tonne of US$1,750, this includes an extra US$150 for investment in the local communities.
At present, more than 1 billion bars are sold in the UK each year. Launched by Rowntree of York in 1935 it is now available in more than 70 countries following its acquisition by Nestlé in 1988.
Over the next ten years, the company plans to invest £65 million in farming communities, and, has already given the Ivory Coast farmers new cocoa trees to replace those reaching the end of their 30 year productive lifespan.
Over 40% of the World's cocoa is provided by the Ivory Coast. At the end of 2009, the price reached a 30-year high, but disease, dry weather and civil war has affected investment and production in recent years. The move by Nestlé is seen as a welcome development to stabilise future supplies and increase yields.
Following a dramatic rise of over 40% to £700m in 2008, UK sales of Fairtrade products could reach £1 billion in 2010.
