Organic chocolate has always been an important business segment for Icam. By the end of 2020, organic and fair trade chocolate amounted to 65% of the Italian company’s overall production.
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“This is also thanks to agreements signed with international players in the chocolate industry. In countries such as France and Germany, the demand for organic products is much higher than in Italy – explains Giovanni Agostoni, commercial director of Icam Cioccolato. Under the Vanini brand, we offer a whole range of bars made with organic cocoa from Uganda. We have been present for several years there with our subsidiary (Icam Uganda Ltd), which allows us to maintain constant contact with the cooperatives of farmers and to carry out training to improve the productivity of the crops. This benefits not only the company but also the farmers, who can obtain higher quality cocoa, fair payment for their work, and implement living conditions for themselves and their families”.
FOCUSING ON EXPORTS
Icam distributes finished products for consumers and semi-finished cocoa products for operators in the sector (confectioners, chocolatiers, and ice cream makers) in 69 countries all over the world. Exports account for 66% of the total turnover and include countries such as France, Germany, Great Britain, Poland, Northern Europe, and the United States. Thanks to the control of the entire production chain, from the plantation to the finished product, the company is able to develop a highly diversified production that meets the needs of domestic and international markets and business partners abroad.
“Sustainability is very important for Icam. It must be enhanced in every aspect, from the countries of origin of raw materials to our plant in Orsenigo, and from the handling of goods to the packaging of our products,“ says Agostoni. “As for packaging, we are working with a company specialized in the production of wrappers to create increasingly sustainable packs that preserve the quality of the product. Thanks to this joint venture we have already implemented with excellent results the production of tablets with these new compostable wrappers for some of our foreign customers”.