Name: UBIQ AG
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Commitment

Philosophy

Sustainable projects in the areas of origin of cacao

We cultivate a fair, transparent and personal working relationship with the cacao farmers in the countries of origin. Furthermore, we support them with social and financial projects that are beneficial to nature and offer economic opportunities to the local community.

Selected investments in the future

We invest in selected projects not only in the countries of origin, but also in our immediate surroundings. For example, we support the promotion of young talent in the bakery-confectionery sector or participate in climate protection and energy efficiency concepts.

Healthcare in Ghana

The «Akwaaba» project

The overwhelming majority of smallholder farmers in the cacao-growing regions of Ghana have either no access to comprehensive healthcare or are unable to afford it. With the financial support of customers, the Swiss platform for sustainable cacao «SWISSCO», and in collaboration with our implementation partner Elucid, together with our raw material supplier Yayra Glover Ltd, Felchlin is providing cacao farmers and their families access to professional healthcare. The beneficial effects can be tracked transparently and in real time via a digital platform.

The «Akwaaba» project

The project provides compelling proof of the beneficial impact of the improvement in the health of people in the cacao regions of origin, the alleviation of extreme poverty and in addition helps to increase productivity. The project also hinders child labour and deforestation. With this commitment, we are investing in two of the sustainable development goals defined by the UN: No. 1 «No poverty» and No. 3 «Good health and well-being».

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Healthcare in Venezuela

The «Salud Sur del Lago» project

Due to the unstable political and economic situation in Venezuela, the healthcare system is suffering greatly. Families can barely afford healthcare and there is often no reliable healthcare system at all. Medical professionals, medicines and supplies are in short supply. Thanks to the initiative and support of Confiserie Sprüngli, we have launched the «Salud Sur del Lago» project.

The «Salud Sur del Lago» project

In collaboration with our implementation partner Elucid and our supplier Casa Franceschi, we ensure the continuous supply of vital medicines and materials to healthcare providers. We provide cacao farming families with access to basic medical care and cover emergency costs for urgent medical interventions.

The «Salud Sur del Lago» project

Thanks to anonymised data, we can transparently track the positive impact on local people. With this commitment, we are investing in two of the sustainable development goals defined by the UN: No. 1 «No poverty» and No. 3 «Good health and well-being».

Healthcare in Ecuador

The «SALUD ESMERALDAS» project

Thanks to the initiative of our client, Confiserie Sprüngli AG, and a strategic partnership with Elucid, we were able to extend our commitment to basic professional health care to Ecuador. The "Salud Esmeraldas" project makes it possible to enrol 450 cocoa farmers and their families in the Esemeraldas region in a health programme. These families receive comprehensive health insurance to ensure that they have access to basic health care and are protected from extreme poverty.

The «SALUD ESMERALDAS» project

The programme includes support for enrolment in the national health insurance scheme, coverage of emergency and maternal care costs, and coverage of medication costs listed on the WHO or Ecuador's Essential Medicines List.

The project is being implemented in cooperation with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the health authorities of Ecuador and our local partner, the Cooperative Aprocane.

Healthcare in Madagascar

The «Salama Mateza» project

With the «Salama Mateza» project, Max Felchlin AG, in cooperation with its local partner as well as mTOMADY and Elucid, provided its cacao farmers and their families with access to comprehensive health insurance. The project, initially financed by Felchlin, Felchlin customers and the Swiss Platform for Sustainable Cocoa, developed very positively and the declared goal of anchoring this project locally within six years and leading it to financial independence was achieved after only two years.

The «Salama Mateza» project

Since June 2023, the project has been continued by Sambirano SA, our local partner in Madagascar. Our farming families thus benefit in the long term from optimal health care and, thanks to the low costs, these services are also taken up in good time.

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Geo protects the rainforest

Wildcacao from Bolivia

In the north of Bolivia, hundreds of small forest islands rise from the savannah and wild cacao trees grow on them. Around 800 families from the Beni region harvest the fruits, ferment and dry them. These unique beans serve as the heart of the Grand Cru Bolivia chocolates.

Protection with pleasure

The association "GEO protects the rainforest" supports the marketing of these precious chocolates: Because if the wild cacao trees are an important source of income for the local people, they also protect the forest islands - for example from loggers and intensive cattle breeding.

Our commitment to talent

Meilleur Apprenti de France Chocolaterie Confiserie

We are pleased to support the «Meilleur Apprenti de Franche Chocolaterie Confiserie» competition again this year as Gold Partner. After a successful collaboration in 2022, we are excited to continue supporting young talents on their way to becoming the best in their field.

As a niche producer of the finest couvertures, we recognise each piece of chocolate as a small work of art and would like to make our contribution to enabling apprentices to fully develop their creativity.

Meilleur Ouvrier de France Chocolatier-Confiseur

We are a proud partner of the 28th edition of the «Meilleur Ouvrier de France Chocolatier-Confiseur». Through our repeated partnership of this prestigious examination, we want to help support talented craftsmen and passionate artists.

We are delighted to promote and celebrate the excellence, innovation and creativity of the best chocolatiers and confectioners in France.

GaultMillau title sponsor "Patissier of the Year

Felchlin is GaultMillau's partner in the "Patissier of the Year" award and has the connection to the best dessert artists in the country.

SBC Sponsorenclub for Future

Felchlin is the main sponsor of the sponsor club of Swiss bakers-confectioners and thus promotes young professionals at national (SwissSkills) and international (WorldSkills) professional competitions. The support secures the participation financially and creates optimal competition conditions. The successes of the competitors are an incentive for the next generation of professionals and thus ensure that the sector has competent specialists and managers.

GALLIKER GREEN LOGISTICS SUPPORTING ASSOCIATION

Responsibility for reducing CO2 emissions goes above and beyond the production site

As an internationally operative company that imports raw materials and then sells its products both at home and abroad, we wish to help diminish CO2 emissions not just solely at our production site but also, wherever possible, on the conveyance routes.

Using this rationale, we are a partner of the Galliker Green Logistics supporting association.

During these times, CO2 neutral transports are a prerequisite, however, they are the more expensive alternative to conventional transport services.

Galliker Transport AG has launched an initiative, with which it wants to offset these additional costs together with sustainably-minded and suitably inclined partners, and thus augment the use of sustainable concepts and technology to achieve a breakthrough.

Galliker is our partner in the areas of national and international forwarding, and additionally provides an extensive part of the warehousing and warehouse logistics services for our Felchlin products.

Accruals for sustainable support

Every year, Felchlin sets up accruals to support sustainable projects in the regions of origin (formerly the Felchlin Cacao Fund). Furthermore to the FAIR DIRECT CACAO philosophy Felchlin has an additional opportunity to finance projects such as the construction of schools, to stem the rural exodus, to grow cacao plants and to generally improve quality and sustainably support people and nature in the regions of origin. The health projects of Akwaaba in Ghana, Salud sur del Lago in Venezuela and Salud Esmeraldas in Ecuador are currently being financed from it.

Below you will find a range of projects that have been implemented thanks to Felchlin's support.

Research in Costa Rica

The Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza (CATIE) in Costa Rica is working on improving the virus resistance of cacao fruits and researching into new quality concepts and ways of improving cacao’s adaptability to climate change. Felchlin was participating in the research, whilst helping implement the results at the local plantations to ensure healthy harvests and enhance the income and living conditions of the farming families in the region.

COMPOSTING IN GRENADA

Thanks to support from the Cacao Fund, Grenada received a local composting facility. A significant step towards successful value creation in agriculture and a long-term benefit for the natural environment and the farmers: high-quality compost firstly conserves the soil and secondly stimulates growth on the cultivated land.

Tree Nursery Sambirano

In 2017, Felchlin launched a project for the women's community in Ambalavelona, the area where our cacao is grown. This organisation was founded by employees of our partner and is actively involved in cacao at the local level. The aim of the project is to financially support the local women's community in setting up a tree nursery for cocoa trees. Thanks to the project, an infrastructure is created to raise young cacao trees with the help of our partner's knowledge. The organisation then sells the young cocoa seedlings to the local farmers, who in turn provide us with the cocoa as raw material.

School in Madagascar

With a school built in 2014 in the north of Madagascar, Felchlin supports the people in the area of origin Ambalavelona-Ambanja. Aspiring cacao farmers and agronomy students have the opportunity to attend courses on cacao cultivation. In addition to the construction of the new school premises, Felchlin designed and financed suitable teaching materials in the form of learning booklets for the students in Ambalavelona and the surrounding area. These describe how cacao is grown, so that the students gain important knowledge about regional agriculture and the cultivation of quality cacao. The lessons are taught by our partner in Sambirano.

Organic Cacao from Ghana

Yayra Glover, born and raised in Ghana, studied in Switzerland and started his family here. He had the vision of generating a secure income for the farmers in his home country through the sustainable cultivation of organic cocoa and thus counteracting poverty and the rural exodus. With the approval of the Ghana Cocoa Board, Yayra Glover was the first person to be allowed to sell cocoa from the Suhum District directly to Felchlin and has done pioneering work with the whole project. You can find out more about this project in the documentary film "Zartbitter".

Planting of cacao trees in Ecuador

With the tree project in Ecuador, Felchlin directly supported the planting of young cacao trees in the Aprocane cooperative in 2014/2015. The trained forester Henrris Castillo Mina was the project manager on site. He carefully took care of the seedlings and incorporated his knowledge of sustainability and the best locations for the plants when planting the several thousand cacao trees.