At Bennetto Natural Foods, we believe that when something is universally loved, how it’s made truly matters. The impact reaches far beyond the wrapper, to the farmers who grow our cacao, the ecosystems it depends on, and the communities connected to it.
Since 2010, we’ve been committed to getting every decision right and operating as a responsible, transparent business. We believe in clear standards, honest practices, and continuous improvement. The policies below outline how we hold ourselves accountable, because we believe chocolate should taste good and do good.
We take a 100% 'no' deforestation approach, backed by physical traceability to the cooperative level, and full alignment with the EU Deforestation Regulation.
Protecting children from exploitation and harmful labour is a fundamental commitment, upheld through our Fairtrade-certified cooperatives which require child labour monitoring and support access to education. We also eliminate synthetic pesticides entirely, additionally protecting and children from chemical exposure.
We source only certified organic cocoa, meaning synthetic pesticides, herbicides, and fertilisers are prohibited at farm level across our entire supply chain, independently verified in every market we sell into.
Every farmer in our supply chain belongs to a Fairtrade-certified cooperative, giving them access to the Fairtrade Premium which communities direct democratically toward healthcare, education, and financial support.
A living income is a basic human right, and we address this through 100% Fairtrade certification, HALBA's Living Income Reference Price commitments by origin through to 2030, and our accreditation as a Living Wage Employer in New Zealand.
Gender inequality is a systemic driver of poverty and harm in cocoa communities, and through our partnerships and certification programmes we are committed to promoting equal access to resources, income, and leadership for women farmers.
Full physical traceability to the specific cooperative is maintained across all our cocoa origins, independently verified through organic, Fairtrade, and B Corp certification, with sourcing practices that already meet and exceed EU Deforestation Regulation requirements.
These policies applies to all cocoa, sugar, and cocoa-derived ingredients sourced by Bennetto Natural Foods, and extends to our manufacturing partner HALBA, ingredient suppliers, and cooperatives across all sourcing origins. Current cocoa sourcing cooperatives are: Unocace and Fortaleza del Valle (Ecuador), Acopagro and CAOS (Peru), CONACADO and Cooproagro (Dominican Republic), and Cooperative Premium Cacao du Sambirano (Madagascar). Sugar is sourced from Paraguay.