Hotel Chocolat pledges sustainable moves after "strong" yearly performance

A national confectionery brand has announced its preliminary results for the year and is subsequently planning sustainable future moves.

Hotel Chocolat Group plc, reports it has seen increased revenues of 21 per cent from £136.3m in 2020 to £161.6m in the financial year ending June 27.

The firm also reports a statutory profit of £5.7m.

It also announced that despite lockdowns and the on-going struggles with Covid-19 there have been no store closures.

The company also states that 94 per cent of all its packaging is “widely recyclable”, and is on track to be at 100 per cent by the end of 2022.

Hotel Chocolat is also launching its Gentle Farming Charter, an investment in cacao farming with the goal of enabling every farmer that supplies Hotel Chocolat to earn a ‘living income’ by further increasing the price paid for cacao to better reflect local costs of living.

In return farmers must commit to sustainable farming practices, zero deforestation and zero illegal child labour.

Angus Thirlwell, co-founder and chief executive officer of Hotel Chocolat said: ““The continued challenges of COVID-19 pushed us to accelerate many of our existing plans and strategic initiatives, helping to strengthen our financial position, improve our multichannel capability, deepen customer engagement and loyalty, and accelerate the rate of product innovation.”

“A real highlight was developing the new Hotel Chocolat Gentle Farming Charter, applying all we have learned by farming ourselves in Saint Lucia, to ensure all our farming families can earn a living income in return for climate-smart farming.

“The living income takes into account actual family living costs and realistic farm output. In return for the higher price farmers commit to sustainable farming practices, planting of indigenous shade trees and zero illegal child labour.”