Rainforest Alliance

Blommer Chocolate Company, the largest cocoa processor in North America, has announced it will offer a line of Rainforest Alliance Certified cocoa and ingredient chocolate products starting in 2010. Blommer processes nearly half of all cocoa in North America, distributing cocoa ingredients to the confectionary, baking and dairy industries.

The cocoa for the new line will come from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms in Latin America. The farms must meet standards for sustainable farming that protect the environment and the rights and welfare of workers, their families and communities.

"Blommer's step to buy cocoa from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms will make the option of sourcing certified cocoa more readily available to United States chocolate makers large and small," said Tensie Whelan, president of the Rainforest Alliance. "It will spread sustainability even further into the homes of United States consumers and allow them to choose products that benefit the environment and help support cocoa farmers and their families."

The Rainforest Alliance's cocoa program saw a 272 percent increase in the sales of certified cocoa last year, from an estimated $4.5 million in 2007 to $16.75 million in 2008. Rainforest Alliance Certified farms protect waterways and wildlife, curb deforestation, prevent soil erosion and reduce water usage. Farmers in the program also learn how to farm more productively, while conserving the fertile soils and natural resources on which their children's livelihood will depend. The program helps them control costs, increase production, improve quality, manage their natural resources and protect the environment.