Interview with Andrea Hüsser, Executive Director of Good Chocolate Hub.
How did Good Chocolate Hub come into being?
In the second half of the 10s, the first newly founded chocolate initiatives and bean-to-bar chocolate makers came into the public eye in Switzerland. This happened in the light of the long experience of fair trade pioneers and the work of NGOs and research institutions on more sustainable chocolate production. Myself and my colleague Anja Glover – daughter of Yayrator Glover, an organic cocoa pioneer in Ghana – had also been concerned with the social, economic and environmental grievances in the cocoa supply chain for many years. With the founding of Good Chocolate Hub, we wanted to give a face to all these new developments and realities in the chocolate market and build a bridge to consumers and citizens. At first, we planned to do this exclusively in the form of a chocolate festival, but after the cancellation of the first festival due to Covid-19, we developed our initiative "Schoggifestival ehrundredlich" further. Good Chocolate Hub now goes beyond a one-off event, with the name "Hub" standing for connection: Between cocoa production and chocolate consumption, between enjoyment and responsible action, and between food and politics.
In what specific areas is Good Chocolate Hub active?
The organisation of the "Schoggifestival ehrundredlich", which takes place once a year, is the core of our activities. Another pillar is events with chocolate tastings combined with information. The aim is to experience a diverse bouquet of aromas while eating chocolate – just like tasting wine – and to immerse oneself in the history of cocoa, which is contained in this very chocolate. We also run workshops at schools and in organisations. There, we use the example of chocolate to deal with the complex interrelationships in food systems and, building on this, topics such as human rights, conflictive supply chains, colonialism and racism. So we show political connections between consumption and production, talk about consumer responsibility as well as initiatives and ways in which citizens can engage for positive change.
What is the idea behind the "Schoggifestival ehrundredlich" and what can visitors expect in 2023?
The Schoggifestival will take place this year in the cultural area of the Mühle Tiefenbrunnen. It shows a new generation of cocoa and chocolate producers, NGOs and research institutes and combines enjoyment with responsible action. Visitors to the festival will be able to find out where the cocoa in chocolate comes from, who makes the finest chocolate, why there is an urgent need for more sustainability and how they can critically question their consumption. They can stroll through the market, learn about and buy new chocolate and cocoa products, and take part in workshops, panels and talks on chocolate flavours, bean-to-bar, the geography of chocolate, racism or child labour. There are also children's book readings, and the opportunity to make your own Easter bunny or chocolate sisalami.
What knowledge do you think every person should have when buying a chocolate?
An informed consumption decision requires knowledge about the ingredients, their impact on one's health and the environment, as well as about the people and politics behind the product – and one should be able to classify them so as to do justice to everything. However, it is almost impossible today to consume in a consistently healthy, ecologically and socially sustainable way, because the products on offer are full of contradictions. At this point, we would like to motivate people to activate their five senses to make decisions – for example, peel and grind cocoa beans, judge chocolate surfaces, smell aromas, taste cocoa beans or chocolate, hear the bite. It is possible that decisions on the purchase of chocolate, which are in the interest of society and the environment, can be made not only cognitively, but literally by "gut feeling". However, it is also important for us to convey that conscious chocolate consumption alone cannot solve the structural problems. People also need to get politically involved. This includes, for example, supporting campaigns, petitions or bills, campaigning against foodwaste, participating in solidarity-based agricultural projects or taking into account attitudes to consumption, ecology and human rights when voting.
What does Good Chocolate Hub hope to achieve by becoming a member of SWISSCO? And in which areas do you plan to be actively involved?
We are mainly looking forward to working more closely with the small chocolate companies and NGOs, but also to networking more widely with other members and learning about their activities and experiences. We are also happy to have access to further knowledge about supply chains and different perspectives on the challenges involved. Within the platform, we would like to strengthen the voice of NGOs, and I personally find the working group on traceability and transparency particularly interesting. But I am curious about all areas.
Where do you see your greatest potential to contribute to achieving the SWISSCO goals of improving sustainability in the cocoa value chain?
We see the greatest potential for a contribution from our side in the implementation of SDG target number 12: Responsibility in consumption and production. With our activities, we want to build bridges to consumers and citizens so that they get to know chocolate from different angles and thus deliberately support more sustainable chocolate production. But we also see ourselves as a critical voice, which we consider important if we really want to improve sustainability in the cocoa value chain.