We are on a mission to grow our sustainable impact on this planet

There are many chocolate producers who source sustainable cocoa. We go beyond just cocoa to sourcing sustainable ingredients at every step of the process. Our mission is to create and support 100% sustainable chocolate and making sustainability a strong pillar of the Swiss chocolate culture. Today, we’re proud to say: we made it.

Cocoa beans are the lifeblood of thousands of families in Côte d’Ivoire , Ghana and other countries in the equator region. Because their craft shapes ours, we deeply care about these regions and their communities. All cocoa raw materials used in our Carma chocolate support the Cocoa Horizons Program. Cocoa Horizons is an impact-driven program with the vision to increase cocoa farmer prosperity by creating self-sustaining communities that protect nature and children.

By partnering with the Cocoa Horizons Foundation, an independent non-profit organization which works directly with farmer groups, we support farmers with an additional premium, access to planting materials, soil management, labor support, agroforestry implementation and coaching to excel in their craft. We empower women and communities with access to income diversification opportunities. For every Carma couverture pack you purchase, a part is reinvested in the farmers and their communities. If you would like to know more, please visit https://www.cocoahorizons.org/de.

In addition, our Carma couvertures are also available on request with other sustainability certifications such as Rainforest Alliance and Fairtrade. For more information, please contact your sales representative.

Unique Cocoa Blends

We have mastered the chocolate production process in our factory in Dübendorf. We create our unique cocoa blends, roast the cocoa nibs at just the right temperature as well as adapt the conching time to every couverture type. But to produce a perfect chocolate it is even more important to source cocoa that is grown and produced responsibly and sustainably, as well as to invest in the future of cocoa farming, and the livelihoods of all involved.

By choosing Carma, you make a difference by improving the lives of farmers and their families in countries of cocoa origin, who are able to adopt sustainable farming practices. This is something you can and should showcase on your final product, so consumers understand and appreciate your dedication to sustainability.

In our commitment to make a difference for our planet, we go beyond sourcing sustainable cocoa beans. Our wide product range requires a variety of ingredients to create a whole pallet of flavours, textures and colours. To guarantee a unique taste profile, highest quality of the chocolate and at the same time contribute to lower carbon footprint, whenever possible, we source our main ingredients, like milk and sugar, locally.

MILK

Milk is a very important ingredient of our chocolate. At Carma, we make sure to source our dairy products exclusively from Swiss farms with high animal welfare standards, good farming practices and pioneering environmental stewardship practices. Carma complies with the Barry Callebaut VisionDairy standard and is an active member of the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative Platform (SAI). 100% sustainable ingredients for a 100% delicious chocolate experience!

Our milk comes from our “backyard” – the green meadows of the Swiss countryside. We partner with the Mooh Cooperative and source our milk from four farms in the Swiss regions Säntis and Zurich.

Our “Carma farms” have been carefully selected for their very high standards in animal welfare and their pioneering environmental stewardship practices. Knowing that only happy and healthy cows will yield very high quality milk, our farms ensure that cows are fed nutritional, natural food, have access to fresh water, spend many days on free pastures and are treated according to the highest ethical & moral standards. Furthermore, the selected farms also engage in regenerative agricultural practices with the goal of creating a healthy soil through no-till or low-till practices, cover crops and other practices.

Furthermore, Carma was the first chocolate brand in Switzerland to develop and certify a pioneering CO2 reduction methodology for dairy: by feeding a natural food additive called Agolin®, CO2 emissions of dairy cows are reduced by 8.8%.

Are you interested in learning more about our partnership with the Mooh cooperative? We believe in transparency and are happy to show our customers around on our selected farms. If you are interested in a visit, please contact your sales representative.

VANILLA

Vanilla is one of the world’s most expensive spices and often the sole basis for the livelihood of many families. Approximately 80% of the world’s supply comes from the Sava region of Madagascar. However, most vanilla growing families suffer from poor livelihoods. An extremely volatile market, food insecurity and low quality yield are amongst the main challenges farmers face in this region.

For Carma chocolate, we make a clear choice for high quality vanilla. We also understand that to secure the quality that goes into our products, it is absolutely a must that we source our vanilla responsibly. This is why we launched in 2016 our own sustainability project in the Sava Region, Madagascar, working directly with smallholder vanilla farmers. Through our group’s partnership with Prova – the world’s leading supplier of vanilla - we are proud to use 100% traceable vanilla from Madagascar. The project focuses on three areas: 1) improving smallholder livelihood through good agricultural practices and income diversification with cocoa. Secondly we support the community and village facilities like a library, school and a health center and offer training around gender dynamics and nutritious food. And lastly, through farm polygons, we monitor deforestation activities and work on agroforestry with the community.More than 700 farmers and their families benefit from this project.

SUGAR

At Carma, our sugar is 100% great tasting, Swiss and sustainable. Sustainable sugar beet means that all our suppliers meet the requirements of the industry-wide recognized Farm Sustainability Assessment independently conducted by the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) platform – the global food and drinks industry’s primary platform for driving sustainable agriculture.

There are only two sugar factories in Switzerland. Both suppliers adhere to the highest of Swiss Standards by being Suisse Garantie certified. Farmers supplying sugar beets transport them mostly by railway to minimize the environmental impact of road transport. Furthermore, they practice smart waste recycling: using the byproducts to produce livestock fed or natural fertilizers.

EGGS

Since 2018, Carma is proud to have sourced exclusively 100% cage-free eggs (shell and ingredient) for all products.

LECITHIN

Our Soy Lecithin is Proterra certified. Together with Proterra we ensure the sustainable farming of soy beans by requiring our supplier meet strict criteria: farming practices conducted are done in a way that protects the Amazonia and any other high value forest, protection of the rights of the communities and farmers within the soy sector as well as protection of biodiversity particularly through rigorous Non-GMO requirements.

LET YOUR CUSTOMERS KNOW!

Are you a chef, chocolatier, baker, barista or gelato maker? Show customers that you work with sustainable Swiss Chocolate & spread the change in-store with customizable communication tools. Because together, we can make sustainability the norm! For more information, please reach out to your local sales representative.