This case study summarises the findings of research undertaken by GAIN and NewForesight to explore what motivated Touton, a major cocoa trader, to set up a nutrition programme in cocoa farming communities in its value chain in Ghana. This paper also assesses Ferrero’s motivations for supporting the programme.
The pilot is part of the Cocoa Nutrition Innovation Project (CNIP), and is supported by Ferrero, the Dutch government and IDH The Sustainable Trade Initiative.
Key findings from this case study include:
- The primary driver for Touton or Ferrero was not direct financial return on investment
- Company positioning, especially around sustainability, was at the core of the business case
- Without healthy cocoa farmers, the cocoa sector is not sustainable over the long-term
- A strong belief that a programme can have an impact is key to starting it
- Leveraging nutrition interventions to increase the impact of other sustainability programmes and initiatives was an opportunity for Ferrero and Touton
- Positioning nutrition interventions in relation to priority challenges to the long-term sustainability of the sector is crucial to gaining buy-in
You may also be interested in the CNIP company learning briefs:
A recent report also shares findings from an interdisciplinary One Health study of potential links between agricultural, health and associated livelihood factors on the livelihoods of smallholder cocoa-growing families in West Sulawesi, Indonesia: A one health exploration of the reasons for low cocoa productivity in West Sulawesi
