The World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) hosted its largest-ever Partnership Meeting in São Paulo, Brazil, on March 19-20, 2025, gathering nearly 500 global leaders from over 40 countries to address critical challenges facing the cocoa industry. Under the theme “Our Future: Resilience Through Sustainability,” participants focused on strengthening resilience, promoting sustainable growth, and developing comprehensive strategies for data collection, research, and disease management across the cocoa sector. The meeting marked a pivotal moment for the industry as stakeholders collaborated to transform sustainability from an aspiration into a necessity for the sector’s survival amid mounting environmental and economic pressures.
Reimagining Sustainability as Survival Strategy
In today’s cocoa industry, sustainability has transformed from a moral aspiration into a fundamental survival requirement. The WCF Partnership Meeting in São Paulo highlighted this shift, emphasizing how sustainability practices are now essential rather than optional for the cocoa sector’s future. Climate change, widespread disease, market volatility, and increasing regulatory demands represent an unprecedented convergence of challenges threatening the global cocoa supply chain.
WCF President Chris Vincent captured the urgency of the moment with his observation that “Crisis leads to innovation but it can also accelerate collaboration.” His statement resonated throughout the meeting as industry leaders recognized that no single entity could address these challenges alone. The gathering emphasized pre-competitive collaboration as the path forward, calling for coordinated approaches that involve governments, companies, and farmers working in concert.
Participants discussed how cocoa supply chain disruptions have affected markets globally, requiring new forms of industry cooperation. Practical solutions dominated the conversation, with stakeholders acknowledging that theoretical approaches would no longer suffice in the face of immediate threats to cocoa production. The focus shifted to actionable strategies that could be implemented quickly across diverse growing regions.
The meeting also addressed how cocoa farmers remain the most vulnerable link in the supply chain, bearing disproportionate risks from climate change and market fluctuations. Representatives from farmer organizations emphasized the need for equitable partnership models that distribute both responsibilities and benefits fairly across the value chain. This perspective gained significant traction as participants recognized that true resilience must be built from the ground up, starting with farmer livelihoods.
Brazil’s Agricultural Leadership and South-South Knowledge Exchange
Hosting the WCF Partnership Meeting in São Paulo strategically positioned Brazil as a model for cocoa innovation and facilitated valuable knowledge exchange between cocoa-producing regions. Brazil’s agricultural sector has pioneered approaches in crop diversification, regenerative farming techniques, and small-scale mechanization that offer valuable lessons for cocoa producers worldwide. These innovations have particular relevance for other tropical agricultural systems facing similar challenges.
The Brazilian cocoa industry showcased its ambitious goal to double national cocoa production by 2030 through sustainable intensification practices. This target represents not just increased volume but a commitment to achieving growth through environmentally responsible methods. Technical panels during the meeting featured Brazilian experts sharing their experiences with agroforestry systems that maintain biodiversity while improving cocoa yields and quality.
Field visits organized during the conference allowed participants to witness firsthand how Brazilian farmers have implemented these practices. Attendees explored diverse production systems ranging from traditional shade-grown cocoa to more intensive but sustainable approaches. Many visitors from other producing countries expressed interest in adapting sustainability practices they observed to their local contexts.
The South-South collaboration aspect of the meeting proved particularly valuable as it created direct connections between producers facing similar tropical growing conditions. Representatives from West African nations, which produce over 60% of the world’s cocoa, engaged in detailed discussions with Latin American counterparts about pest management strategies and climate adaptation techniques. These exchanges fostered a collaborative learning environment that transcended traditional industry divisions.
Data-Driven Approaches to Building Resilience
The WCF Partnership Meeting emphasized how data collection and analysis have become essential tools for strengthening cocoa sector resilience. Sessions focused on four critical data areas: farmer income tracking, crop forecasting, disease surveillance, and biodiversity monitoring. Participants discussed how these data streams could be integrated to provide a comprehensive picture of sector health and identify emerging threats before they cause widespread damage.
A recurring theme was the need for more equitable data sharing between origin countries and consuming markets. Many speakers noted that data collected in producing regions often flows primarily to companies and researchers in consuming countries, creating information asymmetries that disempower farmers. The meeting called for new models that ensure data benefits flow equally to all stakeholders, particularly to the farmers who generate much of this valuable information.
Disease management emerged as a particularly urgent application for improved data systems. Major disease threats to cocoa, including Swollen Shoot Virus in West Africa and Witches’ Broom in Latin America, continue to reduce yields and threaten farmer livelihoods. The chocolate innovation community is working toward comprehensive research and prevention strategies that combine traditional knowledge with emerging technologies.
Several initiatives presented at the meeting focused on empowering farmers through digital technologies. Mobile applications for disease identification, weather forecasting, and market information have shown promising results in pilot projects. These tools help farmers make more informed decisions about planting, harvesting, and selling their crops. The meeting highlighted successful cases where such technologies had significantly improved farmer outcomes while contributing valuable data to the broader industry.
Economic Realities and Market Dynamics
The meeting took place against a backdrop of historically high cocoa prices, prompting extensive discussion about market dynamics and their impact on the sector’s future. Price volatility has created both opportunities and challenges for different parts of the value chain. While higher prices benefit producers in the short term, they also create pressure for manufacturers and may accelerate the search for cocoa alternatives in some products.
Industry analysts at the meeting noted that true resilience must connect directly to productivity, profitability, and farmer wellbeing. Several presentations examined how rising agricultural input costs affect cocoa farming economics, particularly for smallholders with limited access to finance. The consensus emerged that sustainable pricing models must account for the true cost of production, including environmental and social factors often excluded from traditional market calculations.
Representatives from consumer-facing companies discussed the challenges of balancing market expectations with sustainability commitments. Many noted that consumers increasingly demand sustainable products but remain price-sensitive, creating tension between sustainability goals and market realities. Several companies shared strategies for communicating value to consumers in ways that support paying premiums for sustainably produced cocoa.
The economic discussions also addressed how regulatory changes are reshaping market dynamics. New legislation in Europe and North America has established stricter requirements for traceability and due diligence regarding deforestation, child labor, and other issues. Industry representatives described how these regulations are accelerating changes in sourcing practices and creating new economic incentives for sustainable production. I’ve noticed how cocoa price fluctuations affect both industrial chocolate makers and small bakeries alike.
WCF’s Forward-Looking Initiatives
The Partnership Meeting served as a platform for the World Cocoa Foundation to announce new strategic initiatives designed to address the sector’s most pressing challenges. The organization unveiled cross-sector workstreams focused on regulatory compliance and global disease management, bringing together diverse stakeholders to develop coordinated responses. These initiatives reflect WCF’s evolving role as both convener and catalyst for industry-wide transformation.
Progress reports on ongoing programs demonstrated meaningful advancement in key areas. The Cocoa & Forests Initiative has made significant strides in combating deforestation in West Africa, while child labor action plans have expanded their reach and effectiveness. These established programs provide models for how coordinated industry action can address complex sustainability challenges when supported by appropriate resources and commitment.
WCF President Chris Vincent captured the meeting’s forward-looking spirit in his closing remarks, stating: “Resilience is not just about surviving disruption. It is about building a system in which farmers, companies and communities can thrive.” This vision of resilience as a pathway to prosperity rather than mere survival resonated with participants and established an ambitious framework for future industry efforts.
The meeting concluded with commitments from participants to advance specific initiatives in their organizations and regions. Many attendees shared innovative ideas for sustainable cocoa production that could be featured in future industry gatherings. As the global cocoa community dispersed from São Paulo, they carried with them not just new knowledge and connections but a renewed sense of purpose in building a truly resilient and sustainable cocoa sector that can thrive amid continued challenges. If you enjoy exploring sustainable food products, make sure to visit our foodie-themed apparel shop for items that celebrate responsible consumption.
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