Climate-positive means that more climate-damaging emissions (e.g. CO2) and impacts are bound than caused.

fairafric's goal is to leave the earth in a better condition than it was before our activities. We are not only concerned with CO2, but also with soil fertility, water storage, the highest possible biodiversity of plants and animals, resilience to climate change and the production of healthy products.

The Dynamic Agroforestry (DAF) cultivation method is based on the knowledge of the indigenous peoples of Latin America and combines many elements of regenerative agriculture or permaculture. The plants are grown in different levels (shrubs, half-stems, etc.) of the forest and different local tree species are planted: Crop trees, biomass trees, shade trees, etc. One of the main objectives is to produce a lot of biomass to improve soil quality. Therefore, not only cocoa is grown, but also other tree and plant species such as cashew, mango, pineapple, etc., which can be processed by Fairafric. The production of biomass binds a large amount of CO2 in the long term. Significantly more than is emitted in Fairafric's entire value chain.

fairafric emits significantly fewer emissions than other chocolate manufacturers thanks to its own solar-powered factory. Nevertheless, unavoidable emissions are still caused (e.g. in logistics). So far, these have been offset by supporting climate projects in West Africa.
However, our main goal in our own value chain is to leave the environment better than we found it.
That is why we will source our cocoa from a dynamic agroforestry (DAF) project in Ghana from 2024. According to initial external analyses by experts, fairafric can bind 4x as much CO2 in the soil in the long term as is emitted in the value chain!

Cocoa is one of the most important cash crops in West Africa. Due to a lack of alternatives and in order to generate an income for the family, an area is often cleared and then as many cocoa trees as possible are planted on the piece of land. After a few years of intensive cultivation, the nutrient reserves in the soil are exhausted and a high use of artificial fertilizers and pesticides is necessary. In Ghana, conventional cocoa cultivation is responsible for the deforestation of 25% of the rainforest.

The deforestation of the rainforest releases large amounts of CO2. The cultivation of monocultures and the massive use of pesticides also leads to a deterioration in soil quality and less water and carbon can be absorbed.
In turn, advancing climate change is leading to drastic changes in weather conditions and an increase in climate disasters. As cocoa trees in conventional cultivation are significantly less resilient, there are already crop failures in conventional cocoa, while yields are hardly affected by regenerative cultivation methods such as DAF, as the plants are healthier and highly resilient.

The cacao tree is a shade plant. This means that the cocoa tree needs larger trees (e.g. palm trees) above it to provide shade and help it to grow and thrive optimally. At DAF, care is therefore taken to ensure that the trees and plants stand next to the cocoa trees, provide sufficient shade and supply the nutrients that the cocoa tree needs. The greatest possible diversity of plants is necessary for this symbiosis. This symbiosis promotes biodiversity, increases the yield per tree, increases soil fertility and the water storage capacity of the soil and the biomass trees actively store CO2 in the soil.

In initial analyses, external experts have determined that fairafric can store up to 4x more CO2 in the
soil in the long term than is emitted in the entire value chain thanks to the
storage of biomass in the soil.

1. higher cocoa premium
fairafric pays farmers a climate premium of 250$/tonne in addition to the highest organic premium (792$/tonne) in West Africa. The cocoa families therefore receive 1,042$ per tonne of organic cocoa from DAF. This is a multiple of the regular organic premium (300$/tonne) or other certifications such as Fairtrade (240$/tonne).

2. diversification of income
The cultivation of several crops helps to diversify income and makes it possible to earn an income outside the cocoa harvest season.

3. better soil quality & resilience to climate change
By improving soil fertility and other benefits of DAF for the soil, the plants become significantly stronger and more resistant to environmental influences. In addition, the soil quality increases the quality and yield of the fruit. This means that the land can be cultivated naturally in the long term and sustainably.

With our new Visitor Center, we also want to give our customers the opportunity to get an in-depth look at our operations. The factory visit will be combined with a visit to our farmer communities, all in one day! Unique in the world!