At the heart of sustainable cocoa lies a question that continues to shape global conversations: Can we pay more for cocoa that regenerates landscapes and improves lives?

While premium chocolate brands and niche markets offer one answer, the broader transformation of cocoa systems requires something deeper: alliances that connect producers, institutions, and territories around shared goals.

🤝 Four Alliances That Drive Regeneration

Across diverse cocoa regions, four types of alliances are emerging as catalysts for change:

1- Easily Accessible Alliances: Unlocking Productivity and Resilience

These alliances involve partnerships with public institutions, producer guilds, and development organizations. They leverage existing programs and technical support to help farmers maximize their productive potential.

Each cocoa farm faces a unique combination of conditions—some fixed, like rainfall and sunlight, and others that can be improved, such as planting density, soil nutrition, and shade management. Research institutions have conducted field trials to identify which changes lead to significant gains in productivity. Partners can support farmers in adopting these evidence-based practices, tailored to their specific farm conditions, so they can reach their full potential.

2- Alliances to Reduce Negative Impacts: Regeneration Through Practice

Cocoa production inevitably draws on natural resources and generates waste. However, regenerative practices—such as organic fertilization, composting, and agroforestry—can significantly reduce harm and restore ecosystem functions.

These practices often require time, investment, and technical support. NGOs and development partners play a critical role by:

• Facilitating access to training and inputs

• Supporting certification pathways

• Linking producers to sustainability-focused buyers

Examples include farmers who convert livestock waste into organic fertilizers, or those who market certified organic cocoa. These alliances not only reduce ecological footprints—they also create pathways to premium markets and long-term resilience.

3- Market Alliances for Flavor and Differentiation

As dark chocolate gains popularity, cocoa is entering a new phase of flavor appreciation.

• Sensory mapping tools, such as those developed by local research centers, allow producers to identify aromatic potential

• Associations can now link farming practices to flavor profiles, inviting buyers to experience cocoa as a product of place

This opens pathways for value addition and storytelling that go beyond commodity pricing.

4- Territorial Alliances for Verified Impact

Cocoa landscapes are shared spaces—intersecting with livestock, tourism, mining, and conservation. Territorial alliances enable diverse actors to:

• Build agreements around resource use

• Design shared plans with measurable indicators

• Monitor progress using biodiversity and social cohesion metrics

• Communicate verified results to buyers and funders

This approach transforms cocoa from a crop into a vehicle for landscape regeneration and inclusive development.

📊 Measuring What Matters: SLAT as a Tool for Territorial Credibility

The Sustainable Landscapes Assessment Tool (SLAT) provides a framework to:

• Quantify ecosystem services (e.g. biodiversity, water retention, soil health)

• Assess societal demand satisfaction (e.g. youth retention, women’s leadership, dignified income)

• Link local data to global ESG reporting frameworks

By integrating community-generated data with verification mechanisms, SLAT enables territories to present credible, actionable sustainability metrics.

🌍 Toward a New Narrative for Cocoa

Sustainable cocoa is not just about better beans—it’s about better landscapes, better partnerships, and better futures. Whether through public programs, NGO facilitation, flavor-driven markets, or territorial regeneration, cocoa-producing regions are demonstrating that transformation is possible—and measurable.

The challenge now is to ensure that these efforts are recognized, rewarded, and scaled.