The project, which will run until 2030, builds on and expands a pilot programme launched by Save the Children in 2017 with the support of Ferrero, which will continue to co-finance the initiative as part of a public-private partnership approach.

The project will benefit from funding provided by the Italian Cooperation, following the outcome of a competitive selection procedure managed by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS).

Following the selection process, the project was officially presented in Abidjan during the May 2025 mission of the Italian cooperation system in West Africa, led by Stefano Gatti, Director General for Development Cooperation.

Thanks to the newly awarded funding from AICS¹ and the renewed support of Ferrero, the programme will benefit from total funding of nearly 20 million euros².

The programme aims to strengthen child protection and the respect of children’s rights in cocoa-producing communities. It will implement a series of actions to reduce risks and address the root causes of child labour, which are closely linked to socio-economic vulnerability.

The initiative adopts a holistic approach, engaging governments and institutions, civil society, and private stakeholders. By fostering resilient and economically sustainable communities, the project creates the necessary conditions to protect children by ensuring access to education and basic healthcare, improving birth registration systems, securing livelihoods and nutrition, empowering communities and women-led enterprises, and tackling child labour.

The true innovation of this initiative lies in its integrated, systemic approach—both on the ground, by connecting communities, families, suppliers, and local governments, and at the level of economic sustainability through the mobilization of institutional and private funding to enable long-term structural change. Working within the cocoa supply chain alongside corporate partners and local suppliers—who are directly involved from the early design phase—generates a powerful cross-pollination of expertise between the public and private sectors. This amplifies impact far beyond the initial investment, gradually transforming best practices into public policy.

Furthermore, child protection measures are embedded within supply chain operations, ensuring that interventions reach the most vulnerable children, promote long-term sustainability, and can be replicated at scale. The initiative also relies on performance indicators and evaluation systems to ensure tangible and lasting outcomes.

“We have always believed in the importance of collaboration among public institutions—both national and international—civil society, and the private sector, recognizing the unique value each stakeholder brings,” said Daniela Fatarella, CEO of Save the Children Italy. “True change is not the result of isolated actions, but of transformative, long-term alliances. This is why we view this partnership as a true investment—one that focuses on long-term, cross-cutting actions involving multiple actors to deliver sustainable results. This project proves that sustainable socio-economic development in a country like Côte d’Ivoire is indeed possible—through the supply chain expertise of a company like Ferrero, the strategic vision and funding capacity of the Italian Cooperation, and the on-the-ground experience of Save the Children. Together, these partners can achieve an outcome greater than the sum of its parts, becoming real drivers of change.”

“At Ferrero, respecting and promoting human rights is fundamental. These core principles are embedded in our sourcing practices, supporting the individuals and communities within our supply chain,” said Isabel Hochgesand, Global Chief Procurement Officer at Ferrero. “This new phase of collaboration with Save the Children and the Italian Cooperation marks a significant step towards a more sustainable cocoa ecosystem. By working together across the entire cocoa value chain, we aim to build a transparent, inclusive, and lasting supply chain—capable of generating meaningful impact for both communities and our business.”

Read more about the partnership here.

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The latest Bulletin highlights that the 2023/24 cocoa season closed with a substantial deficit of 489,000 tonnes. This is in contrast with the surplus of 49,000 tonnes estimated for the 2024/25 season. Elevated cocoa prices in recent years have encouraged farmers to reinvest in their operations, adopt improved cultivation techniques and expand production capacity, supporting expectations of recovery.

Global cocoa grindings are estimated at 4.81 million tonnes for 2023/24 season and 4.60 million tonnes for 2024/25 season. High input costs have constrained processing margins, limiting growth and resulting in a year-on-year decline in grindings.

Notes:

a/           Estimates published in Quarterly Bulletin of Cocoa Statistics, Vol. LI – No. 3 – Cocoa year 2024/2025

b/           Surplus/deficit: net world crop (gross crop adjusted for loss in weight) minus grindings.

Totals may differ due to rounding.

Statistical information on trade in cocoa beans, cocoa products and chocolate, by country and by region, published in this edition, covers annual data from 2021/22 to 2023/24 and quarterly statistics for the period October-December 2023 to April-June 2025. Details on destinations of exports and origins of imports for leading cocoa exporting countries are also provided.

About ICCO

The International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) is an inter-governmental organization established in 1973 under the auspices of the United Nations and operating within the framework of successive International Cocoa Agreements. The ICCO is headquartered in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.

The Organization comprises 52 Member countries, of which 23 are cocoa exporters and 29 are cocoa importers: https://www.icco.org/who-we-are/

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“For so many of our fans, Peppermint Bark marks the moment the holidays truly begin,” said Bobby Oliver, VP of Marketing at Ghirardelli. “It’s more than a treat. It’s a holiday tradition that brings joy, delight and that first spark of seasonal spirit.”

Featuring layers of premium chocolate with refreshing peppermint, Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark remains a best-seller and seasonal staple. It’s available in a range of formats, from individually wrapped squares to assorted holiday bags, and can be found at major retailers nationwide and at Ghirardelli.com, retailing for $7.29-$14.99.

This year, Ghirardelli is giving fans another reason to celebrate and be the star of any holiday party with the debut of its limited edition holiday sweater. Featuring cozy textures, festive red-and-white stripes, and multiple pockets that are perfectly sized to hold one SQUARE each of Peppermint Bark.

The limited-edition sweater will be available for purchase on Ghirardelli.com this December, following an exclusive early giveaway on Instagram from November 28-30. Winners will be selected by random drawing from all eligible entries.

National Peppermint Bark Day, celebrated annually on December 1, honors the treat that has become a beloved holiday tradition. For longtime fans and new devotees alike, it’s a delicious ritual that signals the start of the season, and a perfect moment to share the joy.

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Over the past twelve months, 50 chocolateries have been opened, including the 100th chocolaterie in Europe in Hanover. A similar number of openings are planned for the coming year.

Double-digit sales growth again

From January to October this year, Läderach again achieved sales growth of around 20 percent compared to the same period last year. Sales growth of a good 20 percent is also forecast for 2025 at the end of the year. The sales growth came in roughly equal parts from organic growth and new store openings.

In 2025, 43 new chocolateries were added, further driving growth, including in new markets such as Japan, Egypt, Thailand, and Turkey. The family-owned company now employs over 2,500 people worldwide and is represented in 28 countries, not including the employees of franchise partners in the Middle East and Far East.

Third production site opened in the canton of Glarus

“On time and on budget,” Läderach opened its third production site in the Glarus region in August, sending a clear signal for the future: Läderach chocolate will continue to be produced exclusively in Switzerland. The “Bilten 2” site offers additional space and long-term business security for further growth.

The building can be expanded modularly and, if necessary, two additional floors can be added in the future. Around 150 employees currently work at the new production site, 100 of whom are existing employees from Ennenda, with around 50 new employees joining them.

Product innovations meet with great interest

Two product innovations have also been a success. FrischSchoggi Dubai, launched in December 2024 as a limited edition, exceeded all expectations and has been among the top 5 most popular FrischSchoggi creations worldwide for months – only FrischSchoggi Hazelnut Milk has been and remains the customer favorite for years. The Dubai line has been expanded in recent months with the addition of FrischSchoggi Dubai Dark and Dubai Pralinés.

This fall, the company launched another product innovation with impressive results: FrischSchoggi Minis. The company became famous worldwide with the open sale of FrischSchoggi. Now the eight most popular varieties are available in mini format – handy, practical, and ideal for on the go.

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This year marks a milestone: 35 years of the beloved ‘Holiday Bells’ commercial. To celebrate, Hershey’s is bringing the magic to life in a way never done before, transforming the iconic ‘Bells’ melody into an interactive experience where families can step inside the commercial and play the tune themselves.

From Thursday, December 4 to Sunday, December 7, an innovative LED musical mat at Rockefeller Center will recreate the iconic sounds of the ‘Holiday Bells’ commercial, allowing visitors to play the cherished melody and create new holiday memories.

“Two holiday icons, one unforgettable moment. Hershey’s Kisses is the No. 1 candy of the holiday season, and NBC’s “Christmas in Rockefeller Center” special is one of the most iconic holiday celebrations in the world,” said Stacy Taffet, Chief Growth Officer, The Hershey Company. “This immersive experience brings them together to ring in the holidays and bring our beloved ‘Holiday Bells’ commercial to life for fans of all ages.”

The History of the Hershey’s Kisses Bells Commercial

In December 1989, the Hershey’s Kisses ‘Holiday Bells’ commercial was born from a spontaneous idea during a shoot for the Hershey’s ‘Whimsy’ campaign. John Dunn, Hershey’s brand manager, created the holiday-themed spot, a 15-second stop-motion animation featuring Hershey’s Kisses as handbells playing “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” directed by Carl Willat.

“The simplicity of the spot – no dialogue, no celebrities, just animated Hershey’s Kisses -is key to its enduring charm,” said Taffet. “It has become one of the most iconic holiday advertisements in American marketing history.”

Where can people experience the Hershey’s Kisses Musical Mat?

The musical mat debuts during NBC’s “Christmas in Rockefeller Center” tree lighting special on December 3, then moves to a high-traffic location at Rockefeller Plaza, where it will be open to the public from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. starting Thursday, December 4 through Sunday, December 7.

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Representing over 95% of global cocoa genetic diversity, the collection will help researchers and breeders to more efficiently identify plants with desirable traits such as climate resilience, disease tolerance, higher yield, and sensory quality. As climate change, pests, and diseases impact cocoa yields and farmer livelihoods, this work lays a crucial foundation for building a more resilient supply chain.

This research, published in BMC Genomics, was a collaboration between The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State), the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE), Fox Consultancy, and Nestlé Research. The newly developed core collection includes several high-quality genome sequences generated by Penn State through its longstanding Molecular Biology of Cacao research program. CATIE, based in Costa Rica, also provided access to one of the world’s largest living cacao collections, which includes several genotypes represented in this core collection.

The sequencing data is publicly available via the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database, and the corresponding trees are accessible at CATIE, Penn State, and other locations.

“Assembling the world’s genetic diversity of cocoa into a well-curated collection, or a ‘Noah’s Ark’ of cocoa diversity, not only makes sense from a conservation point of view,” said Jeroen Dijkman, Head of the Nestlé Institute of Agricultural Sciences. “It will also allow us to uncover key traits that can be used in traditional breeding programs to safeguard the future of cocoa.”

A core collection is a carefully selected group of plant varieties that represents the full range of genetic diversity found in a species. It enables experts to study a smaller, representative sample of varieties without the need to maintain thousands of physical trees, as is typically required.

Patrick Descombes, Senior Expert in Genomics at the Nestlé Institute of Food Safety and Analytical Sciences, explains: “Cocoa is a key ingredient in many of our products, especially chocolate. Yet, the fact that only a small percentage of global cocoa diversity is currently used in commercial production makes its supply chain more vulnerable to a fast-changing world. We leveraged cutting-edge genomic techniques, including deep sequencing of cocoa tree genomes, advanced data analysis, and bioinformatics, to explore genetic similarities and differences across over 300 cocoa varieties and establish this core collection.”

In addition to this research, Nestlé is exploring innovative post-harvest solutions, such as a patented technique that uses underutilized parts of the cocoa pods, like pulp and placenta, to produce cocoa flakes, unlocking more value from the fruit. The company’s sourcing program, known as the Nestlé Cocoa Plan, also plays a key role in sustainable cocoa farming by partnering with farmers and organizations to improve agricultural practices, enhance farmer livelihoods, and ensure responsible sourcing.

All these efforts are part of Nestlé’s broader commitment to strengthening the cocoa supply chain and ensuring that consumers can continue enjoying chocolate for generations to come.

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Supported by optimism of an improved production outlook, prices for the nearby cocoa contract i.e., DEC-25 fluctuated between US$5,478 per tonne and US$6,320 per tonne in London. In New York, they ranged between US$5,809 per tonne and US$6,686 per tonne.

As the month progressed, bearish sentiment gained traction. From the beginning to the end of the month, prices fell by 8% in both London and New York.

In London, they moved from US$6,320 per tonne to US$5,808 per tonne and in New York from US$6,686 per tonne to US$6,133 per tonne (Figure 1).

This decline contrasts sharply with October 2024 when supply tightness drove prices
higher. During that period, the DEC-24 contract increased by 11% from US$6,776 per tonne to US$7,521 per tonne in London, and by 4% from US$7,061 per tonne to
US$7,371 per tonne in New York (Figure 2). The difference between these two periods underscores how market fundamentals, particularly supply expectations, can alter price movements.

Despite optimism for a production rebound, cocoa arrivals in Côte d’Ivoire since the start of the season have been sluggish.

As at 10 November 2025, cumulative port arrivals were estimated at 411,000 tonnes, representing a 9.7% decline year-on-year. This slowdown may not solely be indicative of a poor harvest. Rather, it may reflect stock building by major processors in the country.

Following a disappointing mid- crop characterized by low bean quality and high rejection rates, processors this time around may be prioritizing the accumulation of quality beans. Consequently, fewer beans are likely being transported to ports and this may be creating a perception of weak arrivals even as inventories are replenished within the country.

The weakness in cocoa demand may have also limited price momentum. As shown in Figure 3, Q3.2025 grindings data reported by the major regional associations in October 2025 revealed Asia as showing the steepest decline, while negative and positive grindings were noted for Europe and North America, respectively, due to reporting changes. The European Cocoa Association posted a drop of 4.8% year-on-year to 337,353 tonnes. Asia plunged by 17.1% year-on-year to 183,413 tonnes.

This figure is reported as the lowest third quarter data in nine years. The National Confectioners Association reported a 3.2% year-on-year increase to 112,784 tonnes, but this was partly due to two extra plants reporting and not necessarily a stronger underlying demand.

The combined effect of sluggish arrivals and weak demand created a bearish tone for cocoa prices in October 2025.

However, as the season progresses, caution is warranted as seasonal uncertainties, regulatory developments (EUDR) and potential weather disruptions (harmattan winds) could alter the supply-demand balance and consequently prices.

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The facility is equipped with advanced production lines focused on liquid molding, liquid chocolate and industrial molding across a wide range of applications, supporting customers in the baking industry.

The nearly $146-million ($104-million US) Brantford plant is the company’s first new factory in North America since 2008 and its largest capital investment in the region to date, said a news release from the company, a major manufacturer of chocolate and cocoa products. Barry Callebaut runs existing operations in Chatham, Ont., and St. Hyacinthe, Que.

“Brantford is more than a new facility, it’s a hub for innovation, service and excellence in everything we create,” said said Natasha Chen, president, North America, at Barry Callebaut, in the release.

“This plant will allow us to work even more closely with our customers, delivering the chocolate solutions they need while strengthening our presence in Canada and the entire region.

We’re excited to grow alongside this community and invest in the talent and innovation that make our business thrive.”

The official ribbon-cutting ceremony welcomed customers, guests and local partners to the Brantford facility.

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The partnership marks the first AI powered integration in the food industry and aims to merge Barry Callebaut’s high-quality ingredients data, global manufacturing, supply chain, and distribution infrastructure with NotCo AI’s advanced platform to create an end-to-end AI innovation hub. Together, the companies are exploring to build a new framework for chocolate innovation: one that is smarter, faster, more sustainable, and fully scalable to meet evolving customer and consumer needs.

Peter Feld, CEO of Barry Callebaut, said: “This agreement marks an exciting step forward for Barry Callebaut and for our customers. It reflects our commitment to creating best customer experience by boosting innovation and speed to market. By combining our deep chocolate expertise and global reach with NotCo’s advanced AI capabilities, we’re aiming to unlock speed for breakthrough recipe solutions – from health-forward formulations to functional ingredients and Nutri-Score-friendly options. With the pace of change across the industry and the cocoa market, our customers’ needs are evolving rapidly. This collaboration enables us to test how AI can enhance process efficiency and scale our innovation efforts to meet future demands and allows us to accelerate our ways of working to deliver the best possible customer experience.”

The project aims to explore the development of the next generation of chocolate, potentially setting a new standard for how food companies innovate. By testing AI-driven formulation processes, the collaboration seeks to shorten development cycles, improve hit rates, and digitally empower every scientist and chef to create with unprecedented speed and precision, delivering exceptional taste while advancing sustainability goals.

Matias Muchnick, Co-Founder and CEO of NotCo AI, said: “Our high fidelity data corpus collected for the past 10 years has become the most fundamental value proposition for the next generation of CPG and ingredient companies of the future. By integrating Barry Callebaut’s unparalleled chocolate knowledge with our general purpose approach platform, we’re creating a personalized and unique innovation engine that will set a new standard for the entire industry.”

The initiative forms part of Barry Callebaut’s multi-year digitalization agenda, where Barry Callebaut is pioneering the chocolate industry by entering into the AI era and reinforcing the company’s commitment to deliver breakthrough innovation and its position as the trusted partner for chocolate solutions and one of the biggest chocolate suppliers worldwide in the food and beverage industry.

Climate pressure, ingredient shortages, and rising cocoa costs have forced the chocolate industry to reformulate products and deploy substantial R&D budgets to address supply chain disruptions. By combining Barry Callebaut’s category expertise with NotCo’s AI technology, both companies are proactively building a resilient future for chocolate innovation that maintains taste and quality regardless of volatile agricultural conditions.

NotCo AI’s platform has already powered hundreds of successful product launches for some of the world’s largest food and beverage companies. NotCo AI’s technology – trained on a unique proprietary dataset of food and consumable properties accumulated over 10 years – has been quickly evolving to become the most powerful foundational model for the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) industry.

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Bassé has built a strong reputation for quality, innovation, and sustainable practices. With this new partnership, the company takes a bold step toward expanding its reach and connecting with nostalgic Canadian consumers.

“This partnership marks a major milestone in our growth. We’re proud to collaborate with such an iconic brand as Nestlé to deliver snacks that are both delicious and unique,” says Executive Vice-President Elie Cohen.

The Coffee Crisp mix will premiere at Costco starting in October 2025, followed by a broader rollout for the first two nut mixes at Maxi, Loblaws, on Amazon and bassenuts.ca, and eventually at Sobeys and IGA.

Looking ahead to 2026, Bassé is already planning further expansion, including distribution by new national retailers and the introduction of additional Nestlé-inspired flavours for even more twists on the classic Bassé mixes. These new limited-edition blends will further elevate the company’s product offering and respond to growing demand for snacks that balance taste, convenience, and innovation.

About Bassé

Founded in Quebec, Bassé is a proudly Canadian, family-run business with over 35 years of experience crafting high-quality nut and snack blends. With a state-of-the-art production facility in Laval, and thanks to its employees and collaborators, the company serves markets across Canada and internationally, with a focus on setting trends and offering exciting snacks. Bassé is committed to delivering premium products while prioritizing innovation, quality, and social responsibility.

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