Organic couvertures
Products

CERTIFIED ORGANIC INGREDIENTS

Certified organic ingredients come from suppliers adhering to ethical principles who eschew the use antibiotics, artificial fertilisers or genetic engineering.

The nurturing and cultivation of soils, as well as biodiversity on plantations and farms, are key to sustainable and organic agriculture. Felchlin's philosophy is based on these guiding principles, which focus not only on products and raw materials, but also on social awareness and sustainability.

SOCIAL FAIRNESS AND SUSTAINABILITY

At Felchlin, we have always placed great emphasis on sourcing only the best raw material for our couvertures. Doing so offers our customers a product of outstanding quality that also encompasses social fairness and sustainability. Due to increasing consumer demand for pure organic products, Felchlin has developed a whole range of these certified products to meet this growing need.

FELCHLIN AND ORGANIC

We firmly believe that our commitment to ethical organic standards throughout the supply chain is critical to the production of high-quality organic couvertures.

Organic Raw Material

Organic cacao

As with all our cacao beans, the FAIR DIRECT CACAO standards from our procurement philosophy also apply to the organically certified cacao beans. We are able to source exquisite cocoa directly for our couvertures thanks to long-term contracts and established relationships. Fair prices enable cocoa farmers to use natural resources sustainably so that they are preserved for future generations. In return, Felchlin receives the finest cacao quality with multifaceted and intense aromas. FAIR DIRECT CACAO stands for sustainability, transparency and quality. All of this is put into practice at Felchlin.

You can learn more about the regions of origin of our organic cacao in the following.

Bio-Suisse milk powder

As in our other couvertures, we only use Swiss milk powder for our certified organic products. We work with Bio Suisse farms that set great store by the well-being of their cows and an unspoilt natural environment for this product range. The animals eat grass, clover and native herbs that they find in the meadows where they spend most of their lives. This strengthens the body's defences. In order to meet organic requirements, the treatment of the cows with antibiotics and the use of pesticides and artificial fertilisers on the meadows is prohibited.

Organic cane and beet sugar

We use two types of sugar for our organically certified couvertures. We source cane sugar from Paraguay and Argentina through the Swiss company Pronatec, which launched the world's first organic raw cane sugar in the 1990s. Their direct partner ‘La Felsina’ in Paraguay does not use pesticides or artificial fertilisers in the cultivation of sugar, which is beneficial for both the long-term soil quality and the local biodiversity. Our organically certified beet sugar is produced in Switzerland, with beet from Switzerland and in exceptional cases from Germany.

Organic vanilla

The vanilla we use for our organic products comes from various cooperatives in northeastern Madagascar. They produce vanilla according to organic standards and Fairtrade specifications. This type of cultivation enables the harmonious coexistence of people and nature and prevents their exploitation. The traditional expertise of the farmers and the humid, tropical climate of the rainforests create the best environment for growing the finest bourbon vanilla. The whole cultivation process is completely manual, without the use of machines or pesticides.

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Organic Milk Organic Raw Sugar
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The relationship with Felchlin is more like a friendship, like in a family with mutual trust. Having a long-term reliable partner has also allowed us to safely get through the global pandemic.

@Bladimir & Carlos, Kallari in Napo, Ecuador

Napo – Ecuador

Our long-term, more than 15 years, direct partner in Ecuador works with around 550 farmer families in the Napo province of Ecuador. The cacao grows in socalled Chackras, where biodiversity is thriving. Next to cacao plants big trees like the Chuncho or Bàlsamo, home to the Amazonian jungle, grow and function like umbrellas to protect the cacao trees from heavy rains and provide much needed shade. Their strong roots prevent the soft Amazonian soil from Erosion. Chili plants and their scent work as a repellent for insects whilst other trees with sweet fruit lead them away from the valuable cacao. Edible plants like yucca, vanilla or ginger or medicinal plants like the Guayusa provide not only additional income for the farmer families but also food and healthy nutrition for them and protected animals who live in the Chackras. These extended standards of organic agriculture are not only providing the profitable certifications, but also permit the indisputable unison with Pachamama, mother earth.

Suhum – Ghana

Cacao grows particularly well in dry sandy soil in Ghana. The climate change with its delayed rainfall and reduced water levels creates challenges during the planting phase. Ghanaian farmers only have a simple infrastructure available. Yayra Glover, our partner in Ghana, helps to expand the knowledge of farmers through diverse research projects. His vision has become reality: Cacao grown in the whole Suhum District complies with Organic and Fairtrade standards. In the Suhum region in Ghana Felchlin works with the Yayra Glover Project. Yayra Glover is a pioneer in Ghanaian organic agriculture and was the first person in Ghana to create a direct connection between the farmers in the Suhum area and our Swiss manufacture. He believes that organic cocoa farming and the implementation of climate resilient and sustainable agriculture is essential to fight the effects of climate change in Ghana and Africa. Organic farming cooperatives like the Yayra Glover project represent an economic empowerment for the local farmers, create sustainable jobs, income and access to the organic market with a high quality product. The prohibition of dangerous and unapproved agrochemicals protects both, the environment and the health of the farming communities.

Ambanja – Madagascar

Madagascar, a tropical island off the African south coast, has an abundance of plants and animals found nowhere else on earth. The nutrient rich soil found in the north-west, in the region Ambanja on the Sambirano River, is fundamental for the growth of one of the world’s highest quality cacao, cultivated in accordance with organic certification standards. Max Felchlin has been working together with farmers in Madagascar since 2005. A trusting partnership and passionate engagement at all levels ensure the organic cacao is purchased directly from the farmers and is of the highest quality.

Hacienda Elvesia – Dominikanische Republik

“Hacienda Elvesia” was founded by Swiss settlers. Around 60 people there live from the cultivation of Criollo and Trinitario cacao on the Dominican peninsula Samaná. Elvesia Dominican Republic Couvertures adhere to the highest standards for organically grown produce. They are free of synthetic products, pesticides, herbicides and artificial fertilisers. Dominican Republic is also the origin of the organic cacao butter we use for our organic couvertures.

Napo ecuador
Ghana cacaofruit
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Napo – Ecuador

Our long-term, more than 15 years, direct partner in Ecuador works with around 550 farmer families in the Napo province of Ecuador. The cacao grows in socalled Chackras, where biodiversity is thriving. Next to cacao plants big trees like the Chuncho or Bàlsamo, home to the Amazonian jungle, grow and function like umbrellas to protect the cacao trees from heavy rains and provide much needed shade. Their strong roots prevent the soft Amazonian soil from Erosion. Chili plants and their scent work as a repellent for insects whilst other trees with sweet fruit lead them away from the valuable cacao. Edible plants like yucca, vanilla or ginger or medicinal plants like the Guayusa provide not only additional income for the farmer families but also food and healthy nutrition for them and protected animals who live in the Chackras. These extended standards of organic agriculture are not only providing the profitable certifications, but also permit the indisputable unison with Pachamama, mother earth.

Napo ecuador

Suhum – Ghana

Cacao grows particularly well in dry sandy soil in Ghana. The climate change with its delayed rainfall and reduced water levels creates challenges during the planting phase. Ghanaian farmers only have a simple infrastructure available. Yayra Glover, our partner in Ghana, helps to expand the knowledge of farmers through diverse research projects. His vision has become reality: Cacao grown in the whole Suhum District complies with Organic and Fairtrade standards. In the Suhum region in Ghana Felchlin works with the Yayra Glover Project. Yayra Glover is a pioneer in Ghanaian organic agriculture and was the first person in Ghana to create a direct connection between the farmers in the Suhum area and our Swiss manufacture. He believes that organic cocoa farming and the implementation of climate resilient and sustainable agriculture is essential to fight the effects of climate change in Ghana and Africa. Organic farming cooperatives like the Yayra Glover project represent an economic empowerment for the local farmers, create sustainable jobs, income and access to the organic market with a high quality product. The prohibition of dangerous and unapproved agrochemicals protects both, the environment and the health of the farming communities.

Ghana cacaofruit

Ambanja – Madagascar

Madagascar, a tropical island off the African south coast, has an abundance of plants and animals found nowhere else on earth. The nutrient rich soil found in the north-west, in the region Ambanja on the Sambirano River, is fundamental for the growth of one of the world’s highest quality cacao, cultivated in accordance with organic certification standards. Max Felchlin has been working together with farmers in Madagascar since 2005. A trusting partnership and passionate engagement at all levels ensure the organic cacao is purchased directly from the farmers and is of the highest quality.

Madagascar enet

Hacienda Elvesia – Dominikanische Republik

“Hacienda Elvesia” was founded by Swiss settlers. Around 60 people there live from the cultivation of Criollo and Trinitario cacao on the Dominican peninsula Samaná. Elvesia Dominican Republic Couvertures adhere to the highest standards for organically grown produce. They are free of synthetic products, pesticides, herbicides and artificial fertilisers. Dominican Republic is also the origin of the organic cacao butter we use for our organic couvertures.

Hacienda dom rep enet

Bio / Organic

The requirements of the "Swiss Organic Farming Ordinance" and the "European Union regulations" are fulfilled.

Bio Suisse „Knospe“

Bio Suisse is a private organic label with the registered trademark "Knospe" / "Bud". The guidelines are based on the Organic Farming Ordinance, but go beyond it in many respects. All products bearing this "seal of trust" comply with the guidelines of Bio Suisse.