It represents our main ingredient. In 2021 we purchased 0.001% (1) of the cocoa produced in the world. However small the effect of our choices may seem on a global scale, the impact certainly remains significant for the families and people who produced that cocoa.
This is why we ensure that the supply chain of our cocoa is 100% traceable and transparent, so as to ensure sustainability and quality of life for all.
The values behind our cocoa selection:
QUALITY
We select cocoa beans with a unique flavor profile that can surprise us and our customers.
FAIR PRICE
Recognizing a fair price to farmers is the essential basis for creating stable, long-term partnerships with producing communities. We guarantee an appropriate price, higher than the local market price and a premium price upon achievement of quality and sustainability standards; we guarantee the purchase of the entire crop, anticipating part of the payment. These economic awards enable communities to invest in their own futures.
We promote agriculture based on crop diversification by supporting training to support farmers in agricultural practices and post-harvest processing.
FOREST CONSERVATION AND DEFENSE
The large-scale expansion of cocoa crops has been one of the main causes of deforestation on a global scale. To ensure the future of the next generation, sustainable forest management cannot be ignored.
Our cocoa comes exclusively from plantations that guarantee agriforest farming an agricultural system based on crop diversification that is the ecological alternative to monoculture. The communities from which we source, collaborate with local organizations to protect native natural heritage by restoring natural resources in order to increase biodiversity.
DECENT WORKING CONDITIONS
In our supply chain, we can guarantee the total absence of child labor and slavery and fair and decent working conditions.
HAZELNUT
More than 70 percent of our products contain hazelnut, in the best tradition of Turin chocolate. We use only the Tonda Gentile Trilobata Hazelnut, universally recognized as the best in the world and produced on the hills of the Langhe, Roero and Monferrato, according to the strict specifications of the consortium for the Protected Geographical Indication.
Since 1997, we have been buying all our hazelnuts directly from a number of Langa producers with whom we have formed more than 20-year partnerships. This alliance ensures that the producer sells his entire production at a more remunerative price than the market price, and that we employ the best raw material.
Gianduja chocolate perfectly demonstrates how a winning idea that starts from the local area returns a successful return to the area that generated it: it brings back wealth, notoriety, and virtuous economies of scale.
MILK
The Milk in our chocolate comes from farms in the Piedmont Alpine supply chain, this is thanks to an important agreement signed with Latterie Inalpi that guarantees us quality whole milk from Piedmont.
This allows us to use an excellent ingredient from our area while contributing to the development of more sustainable farming practices.
Inalpi, like us, is attentive to and involved in environmental and social sustainability issues.
Indeed, it ensures that more than 50 percent of suppliers use efficient irrigation systems to combat water waste and soil erosion, and 78 percent of farms use renewable energy.
The contributing breeders ensure a very high level of animal welfare, as well as great attention to maintaining biodiversity, boasting the presence of 9 breeds, including some less common ones.
SUGAR
Since 2018, we have been buying sugar exclusively from beets sown, harvested and processed in Italy, respecting the territory of agricultural practices and growers.
We collaborate with ItaliaZuccheri, a group that unites thousands of member and contributing farms distributed in 7 regions of Italy that proudly carry on our country’s important sugar-making tradition.
By choosing a 100% Italian sugar supply chain from sustainable agriculture, we are promoting and supporting an important tradition of our region, the Italian agricultural supply chain.
OTHER RAW MATERIALS
ALMOND
We consume a significant amount of almonds for the production of fine pralines and bars, which we have always purchased directly from Sicilian producers. Choosing an Italian product allows us to value and favor the domestic product over the widespread imported varieties, which are often more economically competitive. In this way we support the quality Italian agricultural supply chain.
AGRUMES
All the citrus fruits we acquire are of Sicilian origin, and are processed and candied for us by our friend and artisan Corrado Assenza of Noto (SR). For this ingredient, too, we made a choice in respect of the local area and the local craft tradition.
PISTACLES
Exclusively of Sicilian origin, we buy directly from farmers, contributing to the agricultural enhancement of national products.