SUSTAINABILITY
THE BITTER TRUTH
CHOCOLATE PRICES ARE RISING AS CLIMATE CHANGE RESHAPES THE COCOA INDUSTRY. BUT IS THERE ANYTHING BUSINESSES CAN DO?
Nicolas Thoenen, who first came to South Africa as the founding CEO of Lindt & Sprüngli’ s local subsidiary, is no newcomer to fine chocolate. Today he’ s responsible for bringing the Spanish premium brand Valor into the country, offering South Africans indulgent options including their increasingly popular 0 % sugar bars.
Meanwhile in Paarl’ s beloved Spice Route, Beyers Chocolate has been handcrafting artisanal treats since 1987. The brand was born when Belgian master chocolatier Kees Beyers brought his expertise to South Africa, building a family-run business known for its creativity, fresh ingredients and passion for craft.
Cape Town’ s own Honest Chocolate represents another facet of South Africa’ s chocolate identity: smallbatch, artisanal, bean-to-bar craft rooted deeply in ethical sourcing. What started as Anthony Gird’ s kitchen experimentation with raw cacao evolved into a full-fledged chocolate company when he and co-founder Michael de Waal joined forces. Today, Honest Chocolate roasts, grinds and tempers organically produced Tanzanian cacao beans in their Woodstock production kitchen.
98 TRADE & TASTE / 2026