We cross borders by taking Food to those who need it the most

At República del Cacao we are committed to work for the accomplishment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s). Therefore, one of our main objectives is to work for the SDG 2: Zero Hunger, by lowering food waste around the world with donations to different Food Banks and Foundations. Our donations have reached the Food Banks of Quito and Guayaquil, and now, taking into context the current situation and our global impact as a brand, we have crossed our country’s borders and extended our help to the "On Your Mark" Organization located in the USA.

Food Waste on the States reaches 8 billion pounds each year, which means that at least 40% of food provision in the U.S is wasted every year. On more specific numbers, this represents 219 pounds of food per person, and USD 1600.00 in food for family (RTS, 2020). It is important to mention that many timed this food is still in perfect state, but the expiring date on the packaging and a culture of massive and fast consumption have generated a huge problem. So, we decided we didn’t want the same destiny for our chocolate, and this is how we found On Your Mark. This organization is dedicated to help people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities with their social and economic development, through the provision of jobs and professional promotions.

Among the businesses "On Your Mark" has developed, one can find chocolate and coffee shops where they train and give jobs to the people they help. For this reason, we donated 900 pounds of chocolate that will be used to assist with stocking the shop, as well as for skill acquisition. Everyone of On Your Mark’s employees are at different stages of learning how to work with fine chocolate. Some of the creations they will develop are ganaches, shell molds, back fill molds, pop out truffles, dip pretzels and graham crackers, molding bars / holiday themed shapes and various flavor profiles of break-up. The donation will help 10 individuals in acquiring skills necessary to work with chocolate.

Gabriela López-Barry, our Sales Manager for the US, tells us her opinion about this alliance. "We think these partnerships transcend the normal transactions and connects us to the communities around us. Not only to support, but to uplift initiatives that are driven with compassion and a deep sense of understanding that no one can be left behind. It is of great honor to know that our product has the ability to bring people together, generate job opportunities and vocational trainings".

It's our purpose to manage projects that guarantee a triple impact (social, environmental and economic) throughout all our value chain. On this way, we not only ensure a high-quality and traceable chocolate, but also a chocolate that promotes sustainable development. We participate in projects and alliances with various collaborators from the cacao and chocolate value chain, in order to promote an inclusive, differentiated and competitive development on the countries we work in.