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Become a Chocolate Lover

Good Honest Chocolate

Ingredients

For us, premium quality begins with how our ingredients are grown and sourced. We travel to the ends of the earth in search of the best cocoa growing climates. Selecting beans that are ethically, fairly and sustainably produced and providing education to farmers on cocoa quality and yield.

But we also believe we have some of the best ingredients right here in New Zealand! So we source local where we can. From New Zealand’s world-famous creamy milk, to artisan producers like Tauranga’s Mossop’s Manuka Honey. We’re spoilt for unique flavours. Discover the stories behind our ingredients!

No GM ingredients

There are no GM ingredients in our chocolate.

Rainforest Alliance Certified cocoa sourcing

All our Ghanaian cocoa beans are now sourced from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms.

Palm Oil Free

Some palm oil production endangers wildlife, so we don't use it in any of our chocolate.

Our timeline

2024

Expanding our ethical cocoa sourcing

Sourcing Rainforest Alliance certified and fully traceable cocoa beans from more countries in Africa.

2022

100% of cocoa beans traceable from farm to factory

Including geo-mapping the 2,400+ farms we source from in Ghana.

2020

Partnership with the Rainforest Alliance

All our Ghanaian cocoa beans are now sourced from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms.

2015

Artisan Collection launches

Keeping it local. We showcase some of the world's best ingredients grown right here in New Zealand.

2015

World Cocoa Foundation membership

We join a foundation dedicated to growing sustainable cocoa economies.

2014

Whittaker's Cocoa Improvement Programme established

To support the local cocoa industry in Samoa.

2010

Ethically sourced cocoa beans for Creamy Milk Block

Joined by our Dark Ghana Block in 2014.

Early 1900s

J.H. Whittaker buys cocoa from the Vaa'i plantation

Our relationship with the Vaa'i family in Samoa continues today.

Featured

What else we're doing

Ethical Sourcing

Sourcing our ingredients ethically

At Whittaker’s, we’ve been working on sourcing ethical cocoa for some time. Our 5 Roll Refined Creamy Milk 250g block has been crafted from ethically sourced Ghanaian cocoa beans since 2010, joined by our 72% Dark Ghana 250g block in 2014. But, we wanted to do better. So we’re extending that commitment to our whole range!

With the help of the Rainforest Alliance all our Ghanaian cocoa beans are now sourced from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms. Their model means the significant additional investment we’re making benefits cocoa farmers in Ghana specifically. This is also paired with their rigorous approach to sustainable agricultural practices. Find out more about our partnership with the Rainforest Alliance.

On top of this we're:

Members of World Cocoa Foundation, which is dedicated to growing sustainable cocoa economies, and
Proudly support the Cocoa and Forests Initiative (CFI). Take a look at our 2019 Annual Report on Ghana showing our progress towards our CFI action plan.

Local sourcing

Seeking the world’s best in our own backyard

We might be a bit biased, but we believe we have some of the world’s best ingredients right here in New Zealand. That’s why we source local where we can.

Around 96% of our raw materials, excluding cocoa beans and cocoa butter, are purchased from Kiwi suppliers. From family-owned Mossop’s Manuka Honey, to Wellington Supreme Coffee, to creamy New Zealand milk. Local Artisan ingredients are an important part of why Whittaker’s chocolate tastes the way it does.

Good climate and quality craftsmanship mean we’re a little spoilt for choice. But it’s just an excuse to give our Chocolate Lovers something new to try!

Ethical sourcing

Working to improve the global cocoa industry

As a family-owned business with a strong commitment to doing things the right way, we're part of a number of organisations working towards improving the global cocoa industry.

We are members of World Cocoa Foundation, which is dedicated to growing sustainable cocoa economies, and proudly support the Cocoa and Forests Initiative (CFI).

The CFI brings together governments of cocoa growing countries like Ghana and the world's leading chocolate producers, to encourage agricultural practices that are better for the planet and the people. Would you like to know more? Take a look at the progress we've made on our CFI action plan in our 2019 Annual Report on Ghana and read through our Modern Slavery Policy.

Frequently Asked Questions

The ingredients in our chocolate change depending on the type of chocolate and flavour combination. You can find the full list of ingredients and nutritional information for each of our delicious treats on our product pages.

Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance are both working towards the same goals of improving conditions for cocoa farmers and protecting the environment, so it's a matter of choosing one or the other. We are proud to have been an early partner to Fairtrade, but have now chosen to build a partnership with the Rainforest Alliance to extend our commitment to ethical sourcing across our entire range of 116 products that are made with Ghanaian cocoa.

This is because the Rainforest Alliance certification model best suits our focus on sourcing cocoa beans only from Ghana (apart from a small amount of speciality beans from Samoa and Nicaragua) and means we can have more impact there specifically.

We pay our farmers fair premiums for the beans they produce and build strong relationships with local community leaders who support and speak on behalf of our farmers. We also look for additional ways we can help make a difference. For example, we established the Whittaker's Cocoa Improvement Programme in Samoa to provide education and equipment to cocoa farmers.

We source a small amount of specialty beans from Nicaragua and Samoa. In both countries we have a close relationship with the cocoa plantations and their community and can trace the supply route without assistance. In Ghana the cocoa industry is more complex, so we partner with the Rainforest Alliance to ensure that all our Ghanaian cocoa beans are sourced from Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms.