Divine Chocolate is delighted and proud to have won the Guardian Sustainable Business Award for Social Impact Innovation. The ceremony was held in Siemen's The Crystal at Royal Victoria Docks on April 29th. The awards were presented by The Guardian's Jo Confino, and other winners included IKEA (twice), Marks & Spencer, as well as Arthur Kay of Bio-Bean, and the Interface carpet company.

The award was a recognition for the many and significant impacts owning Divine Chocolate has had on the lives of Kuapa Kokoo cocoa farmers - from community, farm, and education improvements to progressive programmes on women's empowerment, adult literacy, and model farm development. As well as empowering farmers and giving them a voice in the chocolate supply chain, Divine has also empowered chocolate lovers here in UK and increasingly around the world - giving them the opportunity to make change happen.

Communications Director Charlotte Borger and National Accounts Manager Wendy Rowan attended the ceremony. Jo Confino commented on how Divine had demonstrated it was possible to have a dignified trading relationship with smallholder farmers. 

Charlotte Borger adds: “We are delighted to receive this award and with it the acknowledgement of an innovative and different way of doing business, which empowers both farmers and consumers, and ensures that farmers can share some of the wealth they are helping to create.”

Divine Chocolate is 44% owned by the farmers of the Kuapa Kokoo cooperative in Ghana, and all the Fairtrade cocoa in its wide range of products is sourced from them in a traceable supply chain. 

ENDS

For further information please contact Charlotte Borger on charlotte@divinechocolate.com

Editors notes:

• For more about the Guardian Sustainable Business Awards and the winners visit http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/apr/30/guardian-sustainable-business-awards-2015-the-winners
  • Divine Chocolate is the only Fairtrade chocolate company that is also co-owned by cocoa farmers. Kuapa Kokoo, a co-operative of over 80,000 cocoa farmers in Ghana, benefit not only  from the Fairtrade premium on the sale of their beans, but also receive the largest share  (44%) of Divine's distributable profits giving the farmers more economic stability, as well as the increased influence in the cocoa industry company-ownership brings

• Divine is available from Waitrose, Booths, Oxfam, Whole Foods and independents nationwide as well as online.

• Divine is a mission-driven business.  Its mission is “To grow a successful global farmer-owned chocolate company using the amazing power of chocolate to delight and engage, and bring people together to create dignified trading relations, thereby empowering producers and consumers.”

• The Fairtrade cocoa in Divine chocolate is fully traceable from bean to bar.

• Keep up to date with Divine UK online:
  • Everything you need to know about Divine: www.divinechocolate.com/uk  
  • For trade enquiries visit: http://www.divinechocolate.com/uk/trade
  • Follow Divine on Twitter: www.twitter.com/divinechocolate  
  • Follow Divine on Facebook: www.facebook.com/divinechocolate  

• Divine Chocolate has won a number of prestigious awards, most recently Social Enterprise of the Year. Last year Divine's 38% Milk Chocolate with Toffee & Sea Salt was voted the “UK's Favourite Fairtrade Product” in a public poll by the Fairtrade Foundation .  Others include Good Housekeeping's Favourite Fairtrade Product 2008; Best FoodBrand in the SHE magazine Ethical Awards 2007; and Best Buy in Ethical Consumer magazine 2009.  Divine Chocolate Ltd was awarded Best Social Enterprise 2007 at the Enterprising Solutions awards run by the Office of the Third Sector and The Observer Best EthicalBusiness 2008.  Divines Dark Chocolate After Dinner Ginger Thins and 70% Dark Chocolate with Chilli and Orange were both awarded one star by the Guild of Fine Food at the Great Taste Awards 2013. Divine has been voted a CoolBrand 2013-14.