DFCD to support Beyond Good's sustainable chocolate production in Madagascar and Uganda
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The Dutch Fund for Climate and Development intends to partner with sustainable chocolate maker Beyond Good, to develop their climate-smart agroforestry model and business expansion, with benefits for farmer livelihoods and biodiversity.
Beyond Good is a is a Brooklyn-based chocolate and vanilla company seeking to change global chocolate and vanilla value chains, with 100% traceable products that benefit people, nature, and climate. Their products are cultivated and produced at the source in Madagascar and Uganda, two countries where deforestation, among other factors, contributes to increased risk to climate change impacts.
The project with Beyond Good has been put forward by the World Wide Fund for Nature Netherlands (WWF-NL), which, together with SNV, a global development partner, manages the DFCD’s Origination Facility to develop new projects for the climate investment fund. With the approval of the grant, WWF has the intention to sign a €190,000 grant funding agreement with Beyond Good, to improve the company's smallholder agroforestry model, supply chain preparedness and business vision.
Traditional global supply chains for sourcing and producing chocolate often operate at odds with sustainable development. Farmers themselves are at the bottom of the value chain and are unfairly compensated for their labour. To keep up demand, cultivation areas are expanded through deforestation, reducing the potential for forests to capture CO2, and increasing the vulnerability of landscapes and people to the impacts of climate change. This is particularly damaging in countries like Madagascar, where issues such as unpredictable weather and drought are increasingly threatening, and where rich biodiversity faces more and more habitat loss. It is also true for Uganda, where 120,000 hectares of forest cover are lost annually, to make way for unsustainable farming practices. To curb these effects, it is imperative that the cultivation of products such as cacao, which feed into global markets, is improved.
Beyond Good makes chocolate and vanilla and exports finished chocolate bars and vanilla products directly to the US, appealing to a broad range of consumers due to their quality and accessible price points.
By working closely with smallholder farmers, Beyond Good maintains a 100% traceable and fully transparent supply chain that cuts out intermediary costs and increases farmer livelihoods. In Madagascar, they are driving reforestation and preserving biodiversity in one of the world's most diverse cocoa landscapes, creating a vital sanctuary for vulnerable flora and fauna.
As the company scales operations, they want to improve their existing agroforestry model, while ensuring their expansion into Uganda and East Africa is carried out to the same environmental standards. The activities to be carried out with the DFCD grant have been designed specifically with this in mind.
Beyond Good will put a grant of €190,000 from the DFCD towards enhancing their agroforestry model and de-risking their expansion.
In Madagascar, they will build a product development lab and training program with a dedicated GESI component. This will build on landscape level work which WWF Madagascar has already been in carrying out with farmers in the country's northern region.
The advancement of a scalable agroforestry programme, combined with a robust ESG monitoring and evaluation system, will also facilitate effective sourcing in Uganda while ensuring sustainable impact. In addition, the grant will fund derisking activities such as supply chain analysis, community development planning, and engagement with potential government and project partners to help establish a functional supply chain and production facilities in Uganda.
Over 10 years, the project aims to achieve the following:
“Madagascar boasts some of the world's finest cocoa. Beyond Good Impact is crucial, as their sustainable and inclusive practices ensure that cocoa production benefits local communities and protects the rich biodiversity of the region. By producing chocolate directly within Madagascar, they maximize value within the country, supporting its economy and empowering its people, we are very hopeful that the support from DFCD origination facility will increase these impacts in Madagascar and Uganda.” Santantra Razafindratsimba, Private Sector Engagement Officer, WWF-Madagascar.
“On behalf of Beyond Good and the incredible farmers in our supply chain, we’re beyond excited to partner with WWF. The grant support helps ensure that the impact in our current supply chain remains uncompromised as we scale operations in Madagascar and Uganda. It further helps us prove to the world that a new and better business model is possible for the chocolate and vanilla industries. That consumers can have a chocolate bar that delivers more flavor, and more impact, without having to pay more for it.” Tim McCollum, CEO, Beyond Good.
For more information, contact Gillian Trollope, WWF's Bankable Regional Advisor for Africa, at gtrollope@wwf.nl. In case you have any grievances in relation to this project of the DFCD’s Origination Facility, please contact us through our service desk at servicedesk@wwf.nl.
Established in 2006, Beyond Good sells a range of single-origin chocolate bars and vanilla products. Working directly with Malagasy and Ugandan cocoa farmers, their mission is to change the way the world experiences chocolate and vanilla. Visit: https://beyondgood.com/.
The Dutch Fund for Climate and Development (DFCD) is a climate fund, dedicated to supporting climate adaptation and mitigation projects which benefit vulnerable communities and landscapes. Initially funded by the Dutch government, it is powered by a consortium of four expert organisations: FMO (Dutch Entrepreneurial Development Bank), CFM (Climate Fund Managers), SNV, a global development partner, and WWF Netherlands.