Have a Break for Good

To make your favourite KitKat even better, we have set ourselves the mission to go further with our support of cocoa farmers, their families, and the local environment too. That’s what the innovative income accelerator program is all about. This program takes an innovative family-centred approach that aims to close the living income gap and improve the livelihoods of cocoa farmers within our supply chain.

Our journey began back in 2009 when the Nestlé Cocoa Plan was born, and we have learnt a lot along the way (you can find out more about the Nestlé Cocoa Plan here!). The income accelerator program builds on these learnings and focuses on initiatives that have already been proven to make a difference to cocoa-farming families’ lives. The program is built and designed to encourage changes in behaviour and reward positive practices – both within the home and on the farm. It incentivizes these families to take actions that improve cocoa productivity, plant forest and fruit trees, diversify their income and support kids’ education. Our program takes the unique approach of putting the families at the very heart of it, rather than just the individual farmers. By looking at the family, we’re placing greater value on women as agents for positive change.

Just like the four fingers of a KitKat, we have four pillars that bring this program to life. These pillars are based around four positive actions we incentivize cocoa-farming families to take. If all are achieved, cocoa-farming families can earn up to 500 euros in extra income a year in the first two years:

• Helping their children, aged 6 – 16, with schooling
• Improving the way farming is done, such as by effectively pruning trees, to increase crop productivity  
• Planting forest and fruit trees on cocoa farms. This provides much-needed shade for the cocoa, helping resist the impact of climate change and supports biodiversity and potentially adds income for the farmers  
• Empowering women to start businesses and diversify sources of income

These incentives in our income accelerator program aim to further secure cocoa-farming families’ well-being and are paid out equally between both heads of the household, directly into their hands via mobile payment. And these incentives are regardless of farm size, so even those with the smallest of farms can earn incentives, ensuring that no farmer is left behind. This support is given in addition to the Nestlé Cocoa Plan and the premium paid for certified Rainforest Alliance cocoa

So far, the program has been rolled out to 10,000 cocoa-farming families (and counting) in Côte d’Ivoire. It doesn’t stop there though! This is a step on the road to expand the program’s reach first in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana and then aiming to reach 160,000 cocoa-farming families in our supply chain by 2030.

Have a scroll to learn more about how we’re supporting farming families through the different pillars of the programme (links to each claim webpage)

More Power to Women

Women on a mission

The income accelerator program isn’t just about growing cocoa – we want people to flourish too. And it’s a universal truth that when women have a more active role in their society, everyone is better off.

In cocoa-farming communities, it’s still common for women to be completely financially dependent on their husbands. And unfortunately, there’s a wider gender equality imbalance that influences this. If women had the power to make decisions and support their families with secondary income, it wouldn’t just fortify households – it would also play a big part in tackling child labour.

So, here’s another way each Break for Good helps us support the 10,000 cocoa-farming families in Côte d’Ivoire. We’re empowering women in these communities with more opportunities to succeed.


We’re taking a holistic approach that falls into two main pillars: splitting incentives equally between the heads of each household, and providing training in gender equality and income diversification. We know, that’s a lot of long words.

More Power to Women

Split Income 50/50

To promote women’s financial autonomy, the incentives from the income accelerator program are split 50-50 between both heads of the household. The women’s percentage is sent to her directly via secure mobile transfer.

The aim? To encourage gender equality, help partners share financial responsibilities and ultimately build more resilient households.

More Power to Women

Training and income diversification

We’re training women to start small businesses or activities that bring in a second income for the family. These include beekeeping, raising livestock such as chickens, and selling vegetables from community-led gardens.

The income accelerator program then distributes a €100 incentive for diversifying incomes – a great launchpad for developing a new business idea. And these, again, are securely sent directly to the women.



But gender justice isn’t just a women’s issue. Employing the Gender Action Learning System methodology, we’re training women and men to recognise that they can achieve more and live a better life if they work together. A woman can farm. A man can help around the house. And together, they can make sure their kids are safe, fed, loved and educated.

We’ve also been helping set up Village Savings and Loans Associations within communities. Self-managed and selfcapitalised, these woman-focused schemes encourage saving, and provide loans for small business opportunities. With financial barriers broken down and self-confidence boosted, women can become changemakers in their communities. 



Here’s to new opportunities!

Sustainably Sourced Cocoa

It is time to let you in on a secret...

​
Contrary to what you might think, cocoa pods aren't just a one-stop-shop for chocolate. They're transformed into several delicious ingredients that play an important role in your chocolate bar. They're the source of cocoa butter, cocoa powder, cocoa nibs and cocoa mass. 



To make it a little easier to understand, check out the snappy visual we have below...

Step 1

Cocoa beans have a shell which is removed.

Step 2

The bean is then roasted and ground to form a mass, some of this is used as the basis f chocolate and gives it the flavour.

Step 3

The rest of the mass is then squeezed through fine filters at immense pressure, separating out the butter from the solids.

Step 4

The butter is used in chocolate to create that smooth, silky texture we all love.

Step 5

The solids are ground into cocoa powder, and provide that rich chocolate flavour to baking treats and drinks like hot cocoa.

More Trees Planted

Cocoa trees also love company

You’re here because you’ve scanned the unique QR code on your KitKat (or maybe you just Googled it).

Well, we’re glad you did because now we can tell you all about the good your break is helping to do!



See that KitKat you’re currently munching on? 



It’s part of an innovative program that, among other things, allocates forest and fruit trees to the cocoa-farming families in Côte d’Ivoire and incentives them for planting and maintaining the trees. 



By rewarding the families for positive agricultural practices, it not only increases their income, but also benefits the local environment and their community.

More Money for Cocoa Farming Families

Breaks and incentives coming together

You’re here because you’ve scanned the unique QR code on your KitKat (or googled it). We’re glad you did because now we can tell you all about the good your break is helping to do!

See that KitKat you’re currently munching on? It’s part of an innovative program that aims to increase the income for cocoafarming families in Côte d’Ivoire. 



Our income accelerator program takes a unique family-centred approach, with the ambition to deliver real and long-lasting impact to cocoa-farming families’ lives and futures. This innovative program rewards cocoa-farming families for practices that not only help them increase their income, but also benefit the local environment and their community.