Cote d'Or Belgian Milk Chocolate With Whole Hazelnuts 7 oz.

Cote d'Or Belgian Chocolate Milk & Hazelnuts 7 oz. Côte d'Or was founded in 1883 by Charles Neuhaus, a chocolate manufacturer who used the name Côte d'Or (French for Gold Coast) referring to the old name of contemporary Ghana, the source of much of the cacao beans used in chocolate manufacturing. In 1965, Côte d'Or acquires the title "Diplomated supplier for the Belgium Royalty." Ethical cocoa sourcing There have been continuing question marks over the ethical stance of chocolate brands worldwide. After it became clear in 2001 that thousands of children were being trafficked and exploited on the cocoa farms of the Ivory Coast. Cote d'Or, along with the rest of industry, signed the Harkin-Engel Protocol, promising to remove the worst forms of child labor from the cocoa supply chain. In October 2009 Cote d'Or has achieved a milestone in reaching this goal with thelaunch of the first mainstream chocolate products in Europe to carry the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal. Starting in France and Belgium, Côte d'Or premium dark chocolate will contain at least 30 percent cocoa from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms. Over the coming months, the certified Côte d'Or range will be rolled out to consumers in the United States. Cote d'Or has also committed to use cocoa beans from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms only across its entire Côte d'Or and Marabou lines, representing some 30,000 tons of beans by the end of 2012.