JUST CHOCOLATE? ETHICAL CACAO-CHOCOLATE COMMODITY CHAINS, LIVELIHOODS, AND AGROBIODIVERSITY

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: COMPLETE
• Funding Source: HATCH
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 1013786
• Project Start Date: Oct 19, 2017
• Project End Date: Sep 30, 2022
• Program Code: [(N/A)]- (N/A)

Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, DAVIS
410 MRAK HALL
DAVIS,CA 95616-8671

Performing Department
Human and Community Development

Non Technical Summary
This project supports the mission of the Agricultural Experiment Station by addressing the Hatch Act area(s) of: plant and animal production, protection, and health; processing, distribution, safety, marketing, and utilization of food and agricultural products; rural and community development; sustainable agriculture.Fine chocolate production in the United States has expanded rapidly in the last decade, from a handful of makers in 2007 to almost 300 in 2017. These chocolate makers often seek to promote more fair livelihoods for cacao farmers and seek to preserve cacao varieties that create fine-flavor chocolate, but which are often more challenging to grow or are less productive than improved varieties that do not have the same flavor characteristics. This project aims to understand the extent to which the above goals are being achieved, as well as the effects of the the expansion of fine chocolate production more generally as an economic sector. An additional goal is to identify research needs of the industry and build industry-academic collaborations to help address these.In-depth interviews and/or surveys of various populations -- chocolate makers, chocolate retailers, chocolate consumers, cacao distributors, and cacao farmers -- will be conducted to answer these questions. Data will be analyzed and results presented at industry and academic conferences. The project hopes to inform the development of the fine chocolate industry in California and the United States in ways that enhance the well-being of cacao-growing farmers, farmworkers, and communities and that help the chocolate consuming population understand major issues facing chocolate and cacao production.

Animal Health Component

100%

Research Effort Categories

Basic

(N/A)

Applied

100%

Developmental

(N/A)

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
202	1099	1080	10%
502	5010	2060	20%
601	6030	3080	20%
606	6110	2060	10%
611	6120	2060	10%
803	6050	3080	30%

Knowledge Area
601 - Economics of Agricultural Production and Farm Management; 803 - Sociological and Technological Change Affecting Individuals, Families, and Communities; 611 - Foreign Policy and Programs; 202 - Plant Genetic Resources; 606 - International Trade and Development; 502 - New and Improved Food Products;

Subject Of Investigation
6110 - Economy of the United States and sectors thereof; 6120 - International economy and sectors thereof; 1099 - Tropical/subtropical fruit, general/other; 6030 - The farm as an enterprise; 6050 - Communities, areas, and regions; 5010 - Food;

Field Of Science
1080 - Genetics; 2060 - Geography; 3080 - Sociology;

Keywords

fine chocolate

specialty cacao

sustainable livelihoods

production

distribution

consumption

Goals / Objectives
The research objectives are to determine the following:1. The research needs of the fine chocolate and specialty cacao industry the provision chocolate consumption in the United States, and the extent to which these can be met given the research agendas of academics currently engaged in cacao/chocolate research. 2. The impacts of the expansion of the fine chocolate industry on three aspects -- the economic viability, environmental sustainability, and spatial configurations -- of chocolate production, chocolate distribution, and chocolate consumption. This will be assessed at the scales of California, the United States, and internationally. Sub-objectives include determining: a) the extent to which fine chocolate producers are economically viable (especially in relation to cacao producers), b) the role of retail, especially online retail and brick-and-mortar retailers, as gatekeepers of fine chocolate and facilitators of its consumption; and c) changes in chocolate consumption and its relation to consumers' awareness of social and environmental problems and solutions in the cacao/chocolate commodity chain.3. The impacts of the expansion of the specialty cacao industry on three aspects -- the economic viability, environmental sustainability, and spatial configurations -- of cacao production and cacao distribution. Sub-objectives include examining: a) the role of specialty cacao distributors in connecting specialty cacao growers and high-value-added chocolate makers; b) the impacts for cacao-growing communities, cacao farm households, cacao farmworkers, and cacao farms (in terms of agrobiodiversity) of being enrolled into the ethically-focused and higher-priced commodity chains that provision fine chocolate makers (including a comparison of the different effects of various forms of trade and their certification); and c) best practices in sourcing in terms of providing farm families a living income and enhancing agrobiodiversity.

Project Methods
Stage 1 will involve two surveys to meet Objective 1: one of fine chocolate makers and specialty cacao providers with an emphasis on the United States, and another of academics worldwide involved in the study of cacao and chocolate. These surveys will be conducted in coordination with Dr. Carla Martin (Director of the Fine Cacao and Chocolate Institute (FCCI), a nonprofit organization, and Lecturer at Harvard University). The data collected will allow for an understanding of research needs from various perspectives (chocolate makers, cacao distributors, service providers, NGOs and government agencies, and academics), and allow us to examine the current research landscape within academia and beyond. The PI and Dr. Martin will work to facilitate collaborative groups including academics, industry partners, and NGO and government entities to tackle the research priorities involved. These collaborative teams will likely also be involved in data collection directly relevant to Stages 2 and 3 below.Stage 2 will involve gathering qualitative, quantitative, and spatial data from cacao distributors, chocolate makers, chocolate retailers, and chocolate consumers in the United States, with special emphasis on California. In-depth interviews will be used for understanding cacao distributors' and new chocolate makers' involvement in the expansion of fine chocolate consumption and the economic viability of various actors along the commodity chain (Objectives 2a and 3a). Surveys of chocolate retailers and chocolate consumers will provide data for examining their roles in the expansions of fine chocolate (Objectives 2b and 2c). Participant observation of the fine chocolate and specialty cacao industry venues and conferences will be conducted to understand the relationships between and amongst chocolate makers and cacao distributors, and with retailers and consumers (Objectives 2 and 3a).Stage 3 will involve field research within specific case study locations within cacao-producing countries chosen based on data collected in Stages 1 and 2. This field research will meet Objectives 3b and 3c by using in-depth interviews with, and participant observation of, farm households, farmworkers, and key individuals within institutions shaping production locations (extension, cacao purchasers, governing bodies, etc.). Likely field sites include Hawaii (the only US state in which cacao production occurs); Guatemala, Belize, and Tanzania (where specialty cacao networks are expanding rapidly); and Dominican Republic, Ecuador, and Venezuela (where specialty cacao production has a longer history) yet these may change with data collected in previous stages.

Progress 10/01/19 to 09/30/20

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience includes a range of stakeholders in cacao-chocolate commodity chains: cacao farmers, cacao distributors, chocolate makers, chocolate retailers, chocolate consumers, government agencies in various countries, NGOs involved in cacao and chocolate, and academics. Changes/Problems:The COVID-19 pandemic caused complete disruption to the research plan and the PI's available research time. With hope, the 2021-2022 academic year will provide more time for moving the project forward. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?If/when the pandemic subsides, some elements of the original project can move forward.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Almost all parts of the project were put on hold due to the pandemic. The PI had a very high university service load in 2019-2020, and was planning to move the project forward in April 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic caused complete disruption to the research plan and the PI's available research time.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2020 Citation: Galt, Ryan E., Madeline Weeks, Nick Robinson, and Angie Chapman. Chocolates transnational terroir: connecting production to consumption in bean-to-bar craft chocolate. The Geographical Journal.

Progress 10/01/18 to 09/30/19

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience includes a range of stakeholders in cacao-chocolate commodity chains: cacao farmers, cacao distributors, chocolate makers, chocolate retailers, chocolate consumers, government agencies in various countries, NGOs involved in cacao and chocolate, and academics. Changes/Problems:Larger service obligations has meant data-gathering is slower than predicted. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Madeline Weeks, a graduate student working on the project, learned about survey design and Qualtrics. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The blog entry has served as the major source for dissemination thus far. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Data collection will proceed concerning the second major goal of the project, to determine the impacts of the expansion of the fine chocolate industry on three aspects -- the economic viability, environmental sustainability, and spatial configurations -- of chocolate production, chocolate distribution, and chocolate consumption.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Data analysis for two of the data gathering efforts -- an online survey of academics studying cacao and chocolate, and an online survey of specialty cacao and fine chocolate professionals -- continued, together with manuscript preparation.

Publications

• Type: Book Chapters Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Galt, Ryan E. Farm-to-bar and bean-to-bar chocolate on Kaua'i and the Big Island, Hawai'i: an industry profile and quality considerations, Colleen Myles, (ed.), Fermented Landscapes, University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2019 Citation: Galt, Ryan E., Madeline Weeks, Nick Robinson, and Angie Chapman. Chocolates transnational terroir: connecting production to consumption in bean-to-bar craft chocolate. The Geographical Journal.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Martin, Carla, Ryan Galt, and Madeline Weeks. Reporting on the FCCI-UC Davis Survey Project: How can we design partnerships for change in the cacao-chocolate community? Blog entry: https://chocolateinstitute.org/blog/reporting-on-the-fcci-uc-davis-survey-project/

Progress 10/19/17 to 09/30/18

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience of the project includes a range of stakeholders in cacao-chocolate commodity chains: cacao farmers, cacao distributors, chocolate makers, chocolate retailers, chocolate consumers, government agencies in various countries, NGOs involved in cacao and chocolate, and academics. During this reporting period, many of these stakeholders were surveyed in two broad surveys, and preliminary results were reported back in two industry venues: The Northwest Chocolate Festival in 2017, and the Fine Chocolate Industry Association in 2018. These venues had audiences of cacao farmers, cacao distributors, chocolate makers, chocolate consumers, NGOs involved in cacao and chocolate, and academics. Additionally, fieldwork was conducted in Hawaii, with interviews and participant observation of cacao farmers, chocolate makers, chocolate retailers, and chocolate consumers. Lastly, interviews of craft chocolate makers in the United States were conducted. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?PhD student Madeline Weeks has been involved in the creation of the survey instruments and in data analysis. Working closely together on this has enhanced her training in these processes. Ms. Weeks has been conducting her own fieldwork on cacao production and chocolate making in Vietnam and Guatemala, which adds more context to the study. Lastly, two other PhD students, Angie Chapman and Nick Robinson, have become involved in the project's qualitative data analysis and writing. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The preliminary results of the two surveys were reported in two industry venues: The Northwest Chocolate Festival in 2017, and the Fine Chocolate Industry Association in 2018. These venues had audiences of cacao farmers, cacao distributors, chocolate makers, chocolate consumers, NGOs involved in cacao and chocolate, and academics. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will continue to analyze the four datasets already collected, and present the results at industry and academic conferences and write and submit more journal articles. Additionally, more fieldwork in cacao production locations will be conducted, and data from retailers and consumers will also be gathered, with a focus on California and the United States.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Four data gathering efforts were concluded: an online survey of academics studying cacao and chocolate, an online survey of specialty cacao and fine chocolate professionals, interviews and participant observation of farm-to-bar and bean-to-bar chocolate makers in Hawaii, and interviews with craft, bean-to-bar chocolate makers across the United States. One book chapter was submitted and accepted, and one blog entry on the surveys was published together with Carla Martin of Harvard and the Fine Cacao and Chocolate Institute and Madeline Weeks, a PhD student at UC Davis. Presentations were also made at major industry conferences together with these collaborators. Lastly, two journal manuscripts are close to submission.

Publications

• Type: Book Chapters Status: Accepted Year Published: 2020 Citation: Galt, Ryan E. in press. Farm-to-bar and bean-to-bar chocolate on Kauai and the Big Island, Hawaii: an industry profile and quality considerations. In Fermented Landscapes, Colleen Myles (ed.). Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: FCCI Blog entry: How can we design partnerships for change in the cacao-chocolate community? Facilitating action-research partnerships to bring research, ideas, and community together | https://chocolateinstitute.org/blog/reporting-on-the-fcci-uc-davis-survey-project/