Body Shop returns chocolate company

Body Shop International has donated its shares in Fairtrade chocolate enterprise, The Day Chocolate Company – giving the money back to the cocoa farmers who originally founded the business. In 1997 the company invested £250,000 in the company giving it a 14% share which is now being returned to founders, the Kuapa Kokoo cocoa farmers co-operative. The farmers will now hold 47% of the shares in the company with the remainder in the hands of the NGO, Twin Trading.


The company are adamant that they will continue to play an active role in Fairtrade projects through third world suppliers who provide the raw materials for ranges made from bananas, sesame oil, brazil nuts and beeswax.
And this is not the end of the retailer s business association with Kuapa Kokoo as the growers will continue to supply the Body Shop with cocoa for use in more than 50 of its products. Kuapa Kokoo has 47,000 members spread over 1,200 villages in West Africa and supplies cocoa for the Divine chocolate range through the Day Chocolate Company. The business also supplies Fairtrade chocolate for the UK chains Co-op and Starbucks. Sales figures for Day Chocolate have been encouraging with a profit of £618,081 in the business year 2004/2005 (30.9.) and a turnover of £7.6m which, according to the company, has now grown to around the £9m mark.