Way To Go

WAY TO GO - THE SUPER-FAIRTRADE-CHOCOLATE FROM LIDL

Lidl is consistently trying to expand its private brand to include sustainable products and is now bringing the Super-Fairtrade-Chocolate “Way To Go” to the market: The cocoa used for the chocolate comes from sustainable cultivation in Ghana.

Since the end of 2016, Lidl has been using cocoa exclusively from certified cultivation for their entire private brand product range. The entire Lidl chocolate bar range, for example, is therefore 100% Fairtrade-certified.

Lidl is taking it one step further with its “Way To Go” chocolate: Lidl is taking a stand, as the first discount store, to close the income gap of cocoa farmers and push onward for living wages with “Way To Go”.
Each “Way To Go” chocolate sold will benefit cocoa farmers through a premium principle of training programs. They contribute to safe working conditions for those cultivating cocoa as well as environmental protections.

EFFECTIVE PREMIUMS FOR CACAO FARMERS

Way To Go is not just a delicious chocolate, which comes in milk chocolate, dark chocolate, sea salt & caramel as well as pecan & coconut. The truly special thing about Way To Go is its premium program which makes noticeable improvements for the cocoa farmers possible: For its chocolate, Lidl purchases 100% sustainable cocoa from the small farmers organization Kuapa Kokoo from Ghana. With the premium program from Fairtrade and Lidl, the farmers are able to benefit with each chocolate bar sold. Firstly, the farmers receive a premium from Fairtrade, since they have made the commitment to cultivate cocoa according to the cultivation guidelines of the Fairtrade program. Then, Lidl also pays the small farmers a set premium per chocolate bar sold, called the “Income Improvement Premium”.

In order to make an impact in the long run, the Income Improvement Premium will not be paid out in cash. It will flow into two initiatives instead.  As a result, the small farmers will be trained to optimize the sustainability of their cultivation and harvesting methods. They will learn more effective and gentler forms of cocoa cultivation, for example, cutting and spraying techniques. This allows the cocoa farmers not only to increase their cocoa yields, which will raise their income, but it also helps protect the environment in their areas where the cultivation took place.

Additionally, the farmers are aided in cultivating other plants and raw materials to produce rice, honey and soap and to acquire business knowledge. This will allow them to tap into more sources of income and thus become more independent from fluctuating prices of raw materials. The positive side effect for the environment: A more diverse agriculture will relieve the soil in the cultivation areas and increase biodiversity.