Hands Off and Chocolatemakers join forces

Hands Off and Chocolatemakers are combining their activities and, together with the brand CLARO, will continue as The Chocolate Impact Group. With three brands under one roof, the company aims to make sustainable chocolate more widely available while gaining greater control over the cocoa supply chain.

Scale as a response to pressure in the cocoa market

The merger takes place in a market under pressure. Poor harvests, climate challenges, and soil depletion are driving record prices. Cocoa farmers are particularly affected. The collaboration links Chocolatemakers’ way of working to the volume and reach of Hands Off.

According to founder Rodney Nikkels, this is at the core. “I founded Chocolatemakers in 2011 to show that everything that can be done better, should be done better. Through the collaboration with Hands Off, we can increase our volume.”

Integrated approach in production and supply chain

The Chocolate Impact Group takes a broad approach. While other chocolate brands often focus on social inequality, the company combines multiple themes. These include a living income, biodiversity restoration, CO₂ reduction, and quality.

The production of CLARO and Chocolatemakers takes place in a solar-powered factory in Amsterdam. The goal is to gradually bring the production of Hands Off here as well.

Founder Kitty Smeeten emphasizes the shared ambition. “By merging with Chocolatemakers, we can take a significant step toward becoming even more sustainable.”

Ambition to increase market share

With Hands Off, CLARO, and Chocolatemakers, the company aims to increase the share of sustainable chocolate. The target is a turnover of €20 million by 2030. Growth is intended to translate directly into the cocoa supply chain.

For every bar sold, an additional square meter of cocoa farmland is restored. This should lead to higher incomes for farmers, increased CO₂ absorption, and greater biodiversity. By 2030, this is expected to result in 34.5 million square meters of restored cocoa land.

Chocolatemakers.com