imported>John: /* top */ clean up, deflag, overlink, replaced: UK → United Kingdom

2025-01-04T16:28:03Z

top: clean up, deflag, overlink, replaced: UK → United Kingdom

New page

{{Short description|British-Ghanaian chocolate company}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Divine Chocolate
| logo = Divine Chocolate logo.jpg
| foundation = {{start date and age|1998}}
| key_people =
| industry = [[Fair Trade|Retail (Fair Trade)]]
| products = Chocolate
| homepage = [http://www.divinechocolate.com www.divinechocolate.com]
}}

'''Divine Chocolate Limited''' is a British purveyor of [[Fairtrade]] chocolate. It was originally established in the United Kingdom in 1998 as a company limited by shares co-owned by the [[Kuapa Kokoo]] cocoa farmers' co-operative in [[Ghana]], [[Twin Trading]] and [[The Body Shop]], with support from [[Christian Aid]] and [[Comic Relief (charity)|Comic Relief]]. The Body Shop subsequently handed their shares over to Kuapa Kokoo which increased Kuapa's share of Divine Chocolate Ltd from 33% to 45% <ref name="sojourners">{{cite news | title =Not Just Heavenly, It's Divine | work =[[Sojourners Magazine]] | pages =30–35| date =May 2007 }}</ref>

==Trade practices==
Divine Chocolate claims that its trading system is unique in that farmers own the biggest stake in the company and share its profit.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/fairtrade-partner-zone/beans-bar-cocoa-traceability-supply-chain |title = This page has been removed {{!}} The Guardian|newspaper = The Guardian}}</ref>

Divine delivers four streams of income to Kuapa Kokoo:

# the Fairtrade minimum price for its cocoa, or world price if that is higher,
# the Fairtrade premium of $200 for every tonne of cocoa,
# 2% of annual turnover for Producer Support & Development,
# 44% of distributed profit.{{citation needed|date=June 2015}}

==Ownership==
Following The Body Shop handing all their shares in the company over to Kuapa Kokoo in 2007, Divine Chocolate Ltd was then owned by the following organizations:
* 45% owned by [[Kuapa Kokoo]], a Fairtrade cocoa farmers cooperative in Ghana.
* 43% shares owned by [[Twin Trading]], an [[alternative trading organization]] based in London.
* 12% owned by [[Oikocredit]], a Dutch [[microfinance]] institution.<ref>Divine Chocolate Limited (2007) [http://www.divinechocolate.com/Templates/Internal.asp?NodeID=90867&strAreaColor= Leading Fairtrade Chocolate Company Becomes Even More Divine] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071017134110/http://www.divinechocolate.com/Templates/Internal.asp?NodeID=90867&strAreaColor= |date=October 17, 2007 }}. URL accessed on January 15, 2007.</ref>

In 2015 UK and US businesses merged, giving Kuapa Kokoo a 44% share of the new company - still the biggest share. Divine Chocolate Ltd (UK) has acquired the 69% of Divine Chocolate Inc (USA) that was in other ownership, through a mutually agreed share swap, resulting in Divine Chocolate Ltd owning 100% of Divine Chocolate Inc., whilst bringing in some minority shareholdings to Divine UK.

==Awards==
Divine Chocolate was a runner-up in the 2002 [[Worldaware Award]] for small businesses. The nomination recognized Divine Chocolate for "its courageous and creative marketing stance in favour of fair trade in the highly competitive chocolate confectionery market".<ref>[http://www.worldaware.org.uk/awards/awards2002/daychoc.html Worldaware Business Awards 2002 – The Trade Partners Award for Small Businesses in Africa]</ref>

Divine Chocolate was voted [[The Observer|Observer]] Best Ethical Business in 2008,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2008/jun/08/ethicalliving.lifeandhealth1|title=Observer Ethical Awards 2008: Green at heart|last=Siegle|first=Lucy|date=8 June 2008|work=[[The Observer]]|publisher=[[Guardian News and Media]]|access-date=30 November 2012}}</ref> and Best Social Enterprise in 2007. Divine was also voted Favourite Fairtrade Product by [[Good Housekeeping]] in 2008. Two Divine products have received 2013 Great Taste Awards ([[Guild of Fine Food]]). Most recently Divine was named Favourite Fairtrade Product in UK, awarded Social Enterprise of the Year 2014,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://socialenterprise.org.uk/news/sue-perkins-announces-winners-social-enterprise-awards-2014 |title=Sue Perkins announces winners of UK Social Enterprise Awards 2014 / News / Social Enterprise UK |access-date=2015-05-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150516110023/http://socialenterprise.org.uk/news/sue-perkins-announces-winners-social-enterprise-awards-2014 |archive-date=2015-05-16 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and won the 2015 [[The Guardian|Guardian]] Sustainable Business Award for Social Impact Innovation.<ref>{{cite news|first1=Jackie|last1=Wills|access-date=2019-09-06|title=Cocoa farmers spread the taste for Divine Chocolate|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/apr/30/cocoa-farmers-spread-the-taste-for-divine-chocolate|newspaper=The Guardian|date=30 April 2015|issn=0261-3077|via=www.theguardian.com}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.divinechocolate.com/uk Divine Chocolate UK]

{{fair trade}}

[[Category:British chocolate companies]]
[[Category:Alternative trading organizations]]
[[Category:Food and drink companies established in 1998]]
[[Category:Ghanaian chocolate companies]]

Divine Chocolate - Revision history

imported>John: /* top */ clean up, deflag, overlink, replaced: UK → United Kingdom