Established in 2005, Belvas, the chocolate factory whose name stands for Belgium and “Valeur Ajoutée pour le Sud” (vas) meaning added value for the South, has made fair trade its trademark. Thierry Noesen, the founder, puts it simply, “If a customer asks for non-fair trade chocolate, we have to say we don’t do that here.”
Belvas has spent almost two decades handcrafting chocolates that are not only 100% fair trade but often organic too. “When I took over a small chocolate factory on the brink of closure in Dottignies, I immediately sourced my supplies via fair trade. I felt it was my duty to ensure that growers received a fair price for their cocoa,” explains company founder and Director Thierry Noesen. “What’s more, unlike other chocolate makers who only turn to fair trade when customers’ demand it, all our products are Fairtrade certified,” he proudly points out. “For us, there’s simply no such thing as non-fair trade chocolate.”
In addition to its online sales, Belvas primarily distributes through organic stores. While the United States and Germany are its largest markets, the now Ghislenghien-based chocolate maker has not forgotten its domestic market, with Belgium still accounting for 15% of sales. “We make all kinds of chocolates,” explains the CEO. “We started with pralines, before gradually developing an expansive selection of chocolate bars, truffles, hot chocolate mixes, etc. In short, we make many different products, but always with the aim of forging the closest possible relationships with the grower, for cocoa of course, but also for hazelnuts, coconuts, and so on.”
“Our organic line meets the ‘living income’ and non-organic is close behind”
When Belvas sources cocoa from Latin America, the company combines its orders with Oxfam Fair Trade and always purchases organic cocoa through the Belgian supplier Belcolade (Puratos). Thierry Noesen explains that it pays 3,500 dollars a tonne, or even 4,500 dollars a tonne for biodynamically grown beans. In Ivory Coast, a portion of their cocoa also comes from organic farming. Here, Belvas allows the growers themselves to set what they consider a fair price. “And when we buy ‘non-organic’ in Ivory Coast, we obviously pay the Fairtrade premium (editor’s note: around 240 dollars) over the base price but we also cover the ‘Cacao-Trace’ premium set up by Puratos, which is about 166 dollars directly to the grower on top of the ‘farmgate’ price, which was 1,660 dollars per tonne this year, plus an additional 100 dollars for the cooperative,” continues the Belvas CEO.
“For this part of our purchasing, which represents around 20% of the total, growers are still not quite achieving the ‘living wage’, which we estimate at 2,500 dollars per tonne,” he admits. “We also have our own ‘Direct Cocoa’ programme, which aims to provide an extra 1,100 dollars per tonne directly to the growers. However, we haven’t been able to get this initiative off the ground with our customers this year. We need to correct this in the future, but the current economic climate is not making it easy. So we cannot claim that we’re paying a ‘living income’ for non-organic cocoa, although this is definitely the case for our organic line.”
Added value for the South
“Beyond just paying a fair price for cocoa, our greatest achievement has been evolving our vision to increase the number of processing steps that happen in the Southern countries,” says Thierry Noesen with satisfaction. “This has led to the development of two significant projects in recent years, one in Peru and the other in Ivory Coast.” Both projects aim to boost economic development in the South. The Peru project is in a partnership with the Acopagro and Norandino cooperatives and the growers from the Armayari village. With the support of the Peruvian government, a cocoa bean processing plant (roasting, grinding and cocoa mass production) was recently built there.
“And in Ivory Coast, our project involves participating in the construction of a similar factory in Daloa in the central part of the country, in partnership with the local Ecookim cooperative, hence the name: KimVas,” explains the Belvas CEO. He also highlights the ecological benefits of importing cocoa mass rather than beans. “You can fit about one and a half times more mass in a container than beans, which significantly reduces the carbon footprint of the transport and eliminates the need for insecticides.”
“Supporting even one village requires tremendous effort”
Belvas generates an annual turnover of around 11 million euros. Out of this, about 400,000 euros are paid back to producers in the form of various Fairtrade, organic and other premiums. “And once we’ve completed our factory in Ivory Coast, this will be an additional 400,000 euros,” Thierry Noesen anticipates with excitement. In detail, 960 organic growers will benefit from a total annual premium distributed as follows: 150,000 euros in Fairtrade premiums, 187,000 euros in organic premiums, 80,000 euros in ‘Direct Cocoa’ premiums and 45,000 euros from the producer conversion support funds (Fonds de Soutien aux Producteurs en Conversion – FSPC), financed by the profits from KimVas. “It is motivating to think that with a company that is worth just 11 million euros, we are close to generating 1 million for the growers. Through business, we can contribute much more than as individuals.”
However, Belvas’ Peruvian and Ivorian projects are not intended to supply all its cocoa needs. The chocolate maker continues to source from major companies in the sector for reasons of flexibility, taste diversification and ease of financing. “But the real limit is my sales volume,” laments the CEO. “If I buy a 24-ton container at a higher price, it’s obviously great for the growers. But a cooperative often produces 20 containers a year…
For instance, our project in Peru only involves one village, and we buy all their production, around 30 tonnes, which is a lot for us. Yet, it only represents 29 growers. In the cooperative, there are… 4,000 of them. In a way, I can only help one village, and that already requires a massive effort on my part.”
“It all comes down to the consumer”
Despite the challenges, these efforts are essential, if only to ensure a future for the sector. Thierry Noesen highlights the significant risks already impacting the industry, including climate and environmental issues, but also points to another danger: the potential disillusionment of cocoa growers. “In Africa, it’s now more profitable to grow rubber trees for rubber than to produce cocoa. The long-term risk is a decline in both quantity and quality of cocoa. If we want to continue enjoying good chocolate in 20 years’ time, it is crucial that farming cocoa remains beneficial for the growers.”
And the Belvas Founder believes that consumers, both private or public, play a pivotal role in this. “My colleagues might not like me saying this, but it is not the industry that drives change; it is the consumer. Fortunately, there’s a growing awareness and a desire among consumers to influence change through their purchasing choices.”
