


A two day chocolate Festival in the heart of Amsterdam!



* Meet the renowned chocolate makers and experts
* Experience sustainable chocolate at a beautiful location in Amsterdam
* Taste many chocolates by top patissiers and chocolatiers
* Combine wine and food pairings with chocolate in a tasting
* Understand developments of sustainable production for large consumer brands
* Learn about the cocoa chain; from tree to bar
* See the trends and developments in chocolate
* Join the debate on sustainable cocoa and chocolate (Saturday)


DATE: 22nd and 23rd February, 2020

The 2019 Chocoa Conference provides a platform for discussion on sustainability and quality and a direct connection to the market through the Cocoa Fair, allowing the participants to meet cocoa producers from all over the world.
The theme of the seventh edition of the Chocoa Conference, ‘Cocoapolitics and Choconomics’, will allow lively presentations and vivid discussions. Power is to politics what money is to economics: the medium via which transactions are valorised. Political power often follows economic power. The economics and politics of cocoa are often discussed, but as they are interwoven it is hard to pinpoint if an issue is a consequence of the one or of the other. This causes key issues within the cocoa supply chain to persist. Especially poverty (or the absence of a living income), child labour and deforestation have not been effectively addressed. Stakeholders propose various solutions, ranging from increased productivity and differentiation to price interventions and supply control. Is it one or the other or a mixture of all? The speakers, panellists and audience will discuss these key issues.
The conference will close with sessions on an important matter that is often mentioned but seldomly discussed: cocoa and health, touching upon issues ranging from the health of the cocoa farmer to the health of the chocolate consumer. Health issues related to poor access to clean water, poor working conditions, malaria or other causes can have a significant influence on the life of cocoa farmers as well as on his potential income from cocoa farming. At the same time, new research indicates the positive effects of chocolate for the consumer. But do we need restrictions of heavy metals like cadmium and lead in chocolate to further promote consumer health? Cocoa politics and Choconomics all over.


DATE: 21st and 22nd February, 2019