Who are the main manufacturers of chocolate in the world?

Candy Industry publishes an annual list of the top 100 global confectionery companies, ranking
them by net sales.
The table below is an extract from this list, giving the top ten global confectionery companies
that manufacture some form of chocolate, by net confectionery sales value in 2013:
Company Net Sales 2013 (US$ millions)
Mars Inc (USA) 17,640
Mondelz International Inc (USA) 14,862
Nestl SA (Switzerland) 11,760
Meiji Holdings Co Ltd (Japan) 11,742*
Ferrero Group (Italy) 10,900
Hershey Foods Corp (USA) 7,043
Arcor (Argentina) 3,700
Chocoladenfabriken Lindt & Sprngli AG (Switzerland) 3,149
Ezaki Glico Co Ltd (Japan) 3,018*
Yildiz Holding (Turkey) 2,500
Reference:
Candy Industry, January 2014
* This includes production of non-confectionery items

Fair Trade cocoa and chocolate
Fair Trade is a trading partnership, based on dialogue, transparency and respect, that seeks
greater equity in international trade. It contributes to sustainable development by offering better
trading conditions to, and securing their rights of, disadvantaged producers and workers -
especially in the South (FINE, 2001).
Fair Trade certified producer organizations must comply with a number of requirements, related
to social, economic and environmental developments. In addition, labour conditions in these
organizations must follow certain standards.
The essential characteristic of Fair Trade cocoa is that producer organizations receive a higher
price for their cocoa beans. The Fair Trade price represents the necessary condition for the
producer organizations to have the financial ability to fulfil the above requirements, and to cover
the certification fees. It is calculated on the basis of world market prices, plus fair trade
premiums. The Fair Trade premium for standard quality cocoa is US$ 150 per tonne. The
minimum price for Fair Trade standard quality cocoa, including the premium, is US$ 1,750 per
tonne. Other benefits for certified producer organizations are better "capacity building" and
"market access".
Presently, cocoa sold with the Fair Trade label still captures a very low share of the cocoa market
(0.5%).
Organic cocoa and chocolate
The organic cocoa market represents a very small share of the total cocoa market, estimated at
less than 0.5% of total production. ICCO estimates production of certified organic cocoa at
15,500 tonnes, sourced from the following countries: Madagascar, Tanzania, Uganda, Belize,
Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama,
Peru, Venezuela, Fiji, India, Sri Lanka and Vanuatu.
However, the demand for organic cocoa products is growing at a very strong pace, as consumers
are increasingly concerned about the safety of their food supply along with other environmental
issues. According to Euromonitor International, global organic chocolate sales were estimated to
have increased from a value of US$ 171 million in 2002 to US$ 304 million in 2005.
Certified organic cocoa producers must comply with all requirements associated with the
legislation of importing countries on production of organic products. The benefit for cocoa
farmers is that organic cocoa commands a higher price than conventional cocoa, usually ranging
from US$ 100 to US$ 300 per tonne. However, originating countries with smaller volumes can
fetch much higher premiums. This premium should cover both the cost of fulfilling organic
cocoa production requirements and certification fees paid to certification bodies.
Organizations involved in the Fair Trade and organic movements
Fairtrade Labelling Organization
Max Havelaar Foundation
IFOAM
The Fairtrade Labelling Organization (FLO)
FLO, established in 1997, is the worldwide Fair Trade standard-setting and certification
organization. Since 2004, it has been composed of two independent bodies, FLO-I for standard-
setting and FLO-Cert Ltd. for Fair Trade certification and auditing activities. The FLO
membership consists of national Initiatives located across Europe, North America, Mexico and
Australia / New Zealand. FLO-certified cocoa producer associations are located in Belize,
Bolivia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Haiti, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Cameroon,
Ghana and Cte d'Ivoire.
The Max Havelaar Foundation
The Max Havelaar Foundation guarantees small farmers in developing countries a fair price for
their produce and intermediates in marketing products, which then bear the Max Havelaar
hallmark. Max Havelaar cocoa was launched in October 1993.
The International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements
IFOAM, an umbrella organization for the participants in the organic market, defined and adopted
in 2005 revised principles of organic agriculture and is now in the process of establishing a
definition of organic agriculture, which is expected to be adopted in 2008. Some of the
manufacturers of organic chocolate are: Green & Black's, a UK company, which uses organic
cocoa from a village in Belize to make its chocolate bars and Rapunzel chocolate, made in the
USA and using organic cocoa from the El Ceibo cooperative in Bolivia.