To secure quality and quantity of agricultural products in the face of rising global demand, private companies are increasingly developing and nurturing long-term relationships with producers and their organizations. This case study describes how cocoa traders and manufacturers on the island of Flores are investing in producer organizations to ensure quality, sustainability and future supply, and ultimately their own survival. It provides a useful overview of the cocoa supply chain on Flores and then details how the efforts of P.T. Mars to secure their supply of cocoa has resulted in sustainable changes in the Flores cocoa chains. This includes improved organizational and marketing skills of farmers, increased resilience among farmer's organizations to cope and adapt to new situations, strengthened skills among farmers, and increased potential for collaboration and coordination among actors. Given the announcement by Mars Inc. that by 2020 all their cocoa beans would be from sources certified as sustainable, this approach presents a new and growing market opportunity for farmers.

All photographic images on this site were taken by the Collins Higgins Consulting teams during the EI-ADO project activities. Reproduction should note their source as Collins Higgins Consulting.