For Goodness Sake cocoa source

---

"The great thing about Fairtrade is that it enables cocoa farmers like me to have a say in shaping our future through talking and working directly with retailers and companies. Our biggest worry is ensuring that we have a guaranteed market for our cocoa that provides us with long-term sustainable livelihoods. Through the pricing structure and the Fairtrade premium we will be able to invest in both our business and our community to ensure a brighter future for our family, other farmers and our friends."

Santos Mendoza, President, CONACADO

CONACADO (the National Confederation of Dominican Cocoa Producers) is one of the country’s top three cocoa exporters, selling between 6,500 and 13,300 tonnes a year - around 25 percent of national production.  Around 85 percent of cocoa grown by CONACADO’s members is certified organic.

CONACADO is a democratically-run co-operative made up of 182 small-scale producer associations from eight regional ‘blocks’ and has a total membership of 10,000 cocoa farmers. The average farm is 4.3 hectares (10.6 acres). Cocoa is grown under the shade canopy of tall native trees and smaller banana, citrus, and avocado trees whose fruit is sold at the local market. Vegetables are grown for home consumption.

CONACADO was founded in 1988 at a time of low global cocoa prices as a way for small farmers to join forces and export their cocoa directly to consumer markets and get a higher price by bypassing middlemen. The organisation’s broader mission is to improve the livelihoods of its members by supporting the sustainable production of high quality cocoa beans and by the efficient international marketing of their products. To this end, CONACADO provides a range of services such as technical assistance, processing facilities, warehousing and transport, access to interest-free loans and credit, and support and training to meet Fairtrade and organic certification standards. CONACADO supports many community development programmes and promotes environmental protection and the sustainable use of natural resources in production.