March 19, 2024

Investing in the future – Van Houten brand achieves 100 per cent certification

Leading hot drinks manufacturer, Barry Callebaut Beverages UK’s premium brand, Van Houten, is now completely UTZ Cocoa certified, with all packaging to show the certification by Spring 2018.

As part of parent company Barry Callebaut’s strategy to target 100 per cent sustainable ingredients in all of its products by 2025, the UTZ Cocoa certification reflects the manufacturer’s support for sustainable farming and reassures all those who buy Van Houten branded products that the goods contain cocoa that has been farmed and sourced with a respect for people and the planet.

Head of sales for Barry Callebaut Beverages in the UK, Paula Bentley, comments: “Origin and provenance have become of singular, over-riding importance in the hot chocolate and cocoa market and our customers expect the beans used in our luxury products to have been grown by farmers who have been trained to implement better farming practices.

“Barry Callebaut has worked tirelessly to help make these practices the norm and we are delighted that the Van Houten brand is now able to fully claim this certification.”

The Van Houten selection, which includes fairtrade, low sugar and white chocolate, sits at the pinnacle of the company’s product range. It is renowned for providing an indulgent and authentic chocolate drink with a conscience, thanks to its fairtrade credentials and Barry Callebaut’s well-documented commitment to sustainability.

Last year, Barry Callebaut strengthened its sustainability positioning with a manifesto, ‘Forever Chocolate’, outlining a series of promises to target 100 per cent sustainable chocolate by 2025. The Group’s pledges include eradicating child labour from the supply chain, lifting more than 500,000 cocoa farmers out of poverty, being carbon and forest positive and using 100 per cent sustainable products in all of the company’s ingredients. It is currently working with governments, NGOs, consumers and customers to find solutions to the challenges posed in the supply chain and to make ‘Forever Chocolate’ a reality.

Barry Callebaut Beverages supplies a full range of popular products to the UK and wider European markets. For further information on the company and its products, log on to www.barrycallebautvending.co.uk or call 01244 370500