OUR SUSTAINABLE CHOCOLATE

The Chocolate Dream is Luker’s collaborative sustainability plan, which brings together different actors of the chocolate value chain including USAID, Luker clients, NGO’s, local government, among others, to build sustainable well-being in rural communities in Colombia.

• The Chocolate Dream benefitted in 2021 more than 2300 families in rural communities in Colombia with projects in education, entrepreneurship, human rights enforcement, environmental protection, and sustainable farming practices, among others.
• In the past 3 years, The Chocolate Dream has invested more than 5 million USD in sustainable cocoa projects from which 30% has been invested directly by Luker and the Luker Foundation.
• Currently, The Chocolate Dream has active projects in 6 regions in Colombia: Urabá, Caldas, Huila, Casanare, Tumaco and Bogotá.

Luker has 3 productive farms in Colombia (located in Urabá, Huila and Casanare), which serve as anchors to The Chocolate Dream. These cocoa farms create more than 700 quality jobs in the region and serve as promoters of sustainable cocoa farming by championing the protection of the surrounding ecosystem and implementing cocoa plantations in agroforestry systems. Additionally, in 1962 Luker founded its own research and training farm in Caldas “Granja Luker”, where it offers training to farmers from around the country.

In September 2021, Luker signed its commitment with Race to Zero, a global UN campaign committed to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Our goal is to be net-zero in carbon emissions by 2030.

In 2021, Luker Chocolate was carbon neutral across all owned operations, including its farms. Furthermore, as part of these efforts, Luker reduced 52% in refrigerants CO2 emissions from 2020 to 2021, due to modifications made to chocolate production equipment.

We began tracking our carbon footprint at scope 3 in 2022, which encompasses all upstream and downstream operations and the footprint of our suppliers.

As members of the Cocoa Forests and Peace initiative, we are committed to prevent deforestation in our value chain. In our own farms, we have implemented agroforestry systems to ensure cocoa serves as a reforestation crop and drives the protection of biodiversity. Additionally, to ensure zero deforestation with small producers, we work closely with them and their communities to promote environmental awareness and good agricultural practices through education and professionalization programs for farmers.