Frequently asked
questions

Lindt & Sprüngli is a chocolate manufacturer that produces its own cocoa mass from the cocoa beans it sources (excluding Russell Stover). This allows us to oversee the entire production process, from the selection and sourcing of cocoa beans to the creation of cocoa mass, also known as cocoa liquor, and the final product, ensuring quality control at each stage – “from bean to bar”. It all starts with purchasing cocoa beans, butter and powder through the Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program or other responsible sourcing programs, continues with producing the cocoa mass in our own production facilities, and extends to processing the chocolate and ultimately marketing and distributing our products. The cocoa used is decisive for the quality and taste of the chocolate, which is why Lindt & Sprüngli has such high standards for raw materials used.

The bean to bar approach is applicable to all Lindt-branded and most Ghirardelli-branded chocolate products. An exception to the approach is our subsidiary Russell Stover which purchases finished chocolate mass or chocolate products.

Visit this page to find out more about the steps in Lindt & Sprüngli’s chocolate production.

Our main cocoa commitment: We aim to source 100% of cocoa products – beans, butter, powder, and chocolate mass – through the Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program or other responsible sourcing programs by 2025.

An important milestone was reached in 2020, when 100% of our cocoa beans were sourced through the Farming Program for the first time. In 2024, a total of 84.2% of our cocoa products (beans, butter, powder, and chocolate mass) was sourced through the Farming Program or other responsible sourcing programs.

See all of Lindt & Sprüngli's commitments in regard to sustainability here.

The Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program was launched in 2008 in Ghana. We have since expanded it to seven cocoa producing countries: Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, Madagascar, Papua New Guinea, and Peru. We source cocoa beans, butter and powder through the Farming Program. Our goal is to source all our cocoa products (beans, butter, powder, and chocolate mass) through the Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program or other responsible sourcing programs by 2025.Through the Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program, we aim to create decent and resilient livelihoods for cocoa farmers and their families and to encourage more sustainable farming practices.

Find out more about our responsible sourcing approach in our latest Sustainability report.

In 2024, we invested CHF 33.6 million in the responsible sourcing of cocoa. Our cumulative investments since the start of the program in 2008 amount to CHF 173.5 million in 2024.

High quality cocoa is at the heart of our chocolate. Knowing which of the different cocoa flavors of the various origins contributes to the distinctive taste of a product is a skill that we have perfected over time.

A fundamental distinction is made between consumer and fine flavor cocoa. Consumer cocoa is cocoa with a robust flavor. It accounts for the largest share (90-95%) of total global cocoa production and is farmed mainly in West Africa. Lindt & Sprüngli uses Forastero beans (consumer cocoa), exclusively from Ghana.

The remaining 5-10% of worldwide cocoa harvests are fine flavor cocoa. Fine flavor cocoa is a high-quality cocoa with nuanced, fine aroma. It is mainly farmed in Latin America and the Caribbean. Lindt & Sprüngli uses fine flavor cocoa beans (Criollo and Trinitario) from Ecuador, Madagascar, Dominican Republic, Papua New Guinea and Peru.

The Farming Program is active in seven origin counties: Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, Peru, Madagascar, and Papua New Guinea. Some of our cocoa is still conventionally sourced from other countries.

Currently, the following Lindt & Sprüngli brands use cocoa beans sourced through our responsible sourcing program, the Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program: Lindt, Caffarel, Ghirardelli, Küfferle, and Hofbauer.

Since the introduction of the Farming Program in 2008, physical traceability of cocoa has been a key principle of our responsible cocoa sourcing efforts. We aim to achieve first mile traceability for 100% of cocoa products – beans, butter, powder, and chocolate mass – by 2025.

We use different traceability models depending on the cocoa product. For cocoa beans, Lindt & Sprüngli has a traceable supply chain which is considered as “Mixed Identity Preserved” or “Identity Preserved”. For cocoa butter sourced through the Farming Program, we aim for physical traceability based on Rainforest Alliance Certified "Segregated”. For cocoa butter not purchased through the Farming Program, as well as cocoa powder and chocolate mass, we purchase Rainforest Alliance Certified “Mass Balance” products.

Read more on our traceability approach in our latest Sustainability Report and find more details on the traceability levels in the Glossary of the report.

While our products do not have external certification labels, we do source select raw and packaging materials certified. For further information regarding external certification of our materials, please refer to the responsible sourcing section of our Sustainability Report 2024.

The Farming Program builds on the principle of continuous improvement. For this purpose we monitor compliance with the Farming Program requirements and let the program be externally verified or certified.

Our monitoring and evaluation approach is based on multiple complementary elements. These include target setting, monitoring of outputs, a review of program quality, and verification of program implementation, as well as periodic impact assessments. We evaluate these elements related to both the farm and the implementation partner.

Internal monitoring of farmers participating in the Farming Program

As defined in the Farming Program Verification Guidance, annual internal monitoring of the cocoa farmers aims to assess their compliance with Farming Program requirements and evaluate their progress. Results differ between origin and supplier, and challenges are addressed for each supply chain individually.

External verification and certification

Cocoa sourced through the Farming Program or other responsible sourcing programs is subject to certification or annual external verification by an independent third party.

We are in the process of transitioning all volumes, including Farming Program volumes, to Rainforest Alliance Certification. In 2024, we completed the process for cocoa butter, and started the process of transitioning to Rainforest Alliance Certification for all farmer groups delivering beans via the Farming Program. The first certified volumes were delivered at the end of 2024, with more expected in 2025.

Where multi-year supply agreements are in place and the Farming Program is being implemented, certification is not intended to replace the program but serves as a basis and external verification scheme. For not yet certified cocoa beans, the Earthworm Foundation conducts external verification, based on the Farming Program External Assessment Methodology.

The cocoa sector faces a multitude of challenges related to human rights and environmental protection, including child labor, deforestation, and persistent low incomes among cocoa farmers. The Farming Program aims at advancing solutions and strengthening our own contributions to addressing the prevalent issues by partnering with relevant stakeholders.

Through the Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program, we aim to create decent and resilient livelihoods for cocoa farmers and their families and to encourage more sustainable farming practices.

We take a holistic approach to increasing farming household incomes. We are addressing this through a combination of measures, with the aim of improving the income situation overall, recognizing that poverty among cocoa households is one of the underlying root causes of the cocoa sector’s challenges. Such measures include, for example, increasing cocoa productivity and profitability, cash and in-kind premiums for farmers, income diversification, access to finance, community development and infrastructure investments, and women’s empowerment.

In 2024, we invested CHF 33.6 million in the responsible sourcing of cocoa and 118’000 farmers in seven origin countries participated in the Farming Program.

We support the efforts of the governments in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana to improve livelihoods of cocoa farmers with a Living Income Differential (LID) of USD 400 per ton. We have purchased our cocoa from Ghana and Côte d’ Ivoire with LID pricing since its introduction in 2019 and will continue to do so.

The price of cocoa is an important element in efforts to contribute to a decent standard of living for cocoa farmers and their families. The price of cocoa that we pay is determined by the market price.

The farmgate price, i.e., the price a farmer receives for the cocoa, is determined either by the local market price, or, in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, by the government. Farmgate prices are usually lower in regulated markets compared to unregulated markets.

In addition to paying the market price, through suppliers we provide farmers in the Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program with cash or in-kind premiums. In 2024, we invested CHF 33.6 million in the responsible sourcing of cocoa.

Lindt & Sprüngli strongly condemns all forms of child labor. In agricultural value chains, especially in the cocoa sector in West African countries, child labor is a persistent and complex challenge. Tackling child labor requires continuous and collaborative efforts from all stakeholders active in the sector.

At Lindt & Sprüngli, tackling child labor is a priority and we are firmly committed to addressing it whenever possible. This is a key focus of the Farming Program in our cocoa supply chain. For more information, please see our protection of children's rights page.

Conserving biodiversity and natural ecosystems is one of the Farming Program’s main objectives. As part of our No-Deforestation Policy, direct suppliers of cocoa must ensure that volumes supplied to Lindt & Sprüngli are either sourced through the Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program or certified under a certification standard approved by Lindt & Sprüngli (e.g., Rainforest Alliance) by the end of 2025.

Our aim is for no deforestation in cocoa with a target date of December 31, 2025, and to work towards the elimination of deforestation in our other primary deforestation linked supply chains (palm oil, soy, and pulp- and paper-based packaging). We have defined three core intervention areas in our Cocoa No-Deforestation & Agroforestry Action Plan. These include activities relating to deforestation in the supply chain, promotion of agroforestry systems for cocoa, and support community forest restoration and conservation.

2024 also marked an important transition year for the cocoa sector as it prepares for the European Union Regulation on Deforestation-free Products (EUDR).

The EUDR mandates traceability for sourcing and control measures to ensure relevant in-scope commodities are sourced deforestation-free and in compliance with local regulations. Lindt & Sprüngli will be required to perform due diligence when sourcing these specific materials destined for EU markets. As part of this process, Lindt & Sprüngli has started the development of governance structures and oversight, the implementation of an in-bound supply chain IT system, and the integration of sourcing data with our manufacturing and downstream supply chain for the handling of our downstream due diligence statement submissions and transfer of relevant information to our customers.

Find further information in our latest Sustainability Report and in our No-Deforestation & Agroforestry Progress Report.

Lindt & Sprüngli monitors its raw materials through extensive laboratory testing of cocoa beans to detect possible residues of pesticides. As part of the Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program, our suppliers provide trainings to the farmers, to encourage more sustainable farming practices. These practices have the aim to reduce the need for pesticides in cocoa production and control pests using natural methods. Additionally, farmers are educated about the correct application of fertilizers and other inputs. As part of our investments in the responsible sourcing of cocoa, farmers receive solely organic inputs for their cocoa plantations.

Further, pesticide management is part of the Rainforest Alliance Certification as well as other certifications through which we are sourcing our raw materials. For cocoa, we are in the process of transitioning all our volumes, including Farming Program volumes, to Rainforest Alliance Certification. The Rainforest Alliance provides a list of ingredients whose use must be monitored.

Lindt & Sprüngli has analyzed the scope of its procurement of raw materials and set responsible sourcing targets for twelve priority raw materials (including cocoa). More information on the progress towards our targets can be found in our latest Sustainability Report (Our Responsible Sourcing Roadmap).

In 2024, we invested CHF 33.6 million in the responsible sourcing of cocoa. Responsible sourcing program costs in relation to cocoa include operations costs for staff, equipment, farm investments, community development, and volume-based cash- and in-kind premiums for farmers and farmer groups. These investments are made in addition to the market price and the Living Income Differential (LID) of USD 400 per ton of cocoa, which was introduced by the governments of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. In 2024, the Lindt Cocoa Foundation additionally co-funded the Farming Program in Ghana, Madagascar, and Ecuador, contributing an additional CHF 1 million to farmers and communities in line with its mission to promote sustainable farming practices and support communities in cocoa producing regions.

Our total greenhouse gas emissions (Scope 1, 2, and 3) in 2024 were 3.2 million metric tons of CO₂ equivalent. Our footprint was externally audited (limited assurance) by a third party. Emissions from our value chain (scope 3) represent around 95% of our carbon footprint, with cocoa, other raw materials including dairy and sugar, transport, and packaging being the largest contributors. We aim to achieve near- and long-term science-based targets and reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across the value chain by 2050 as validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).

See more information in our latest Sustainability Report.