CACAO ORO DE NICARAGUA

SUSTAINABILITY
AND SOCIAL
INNOVATION

We could easily summarize our sustainability movement as doing the right thing for our employees, our various partners, the country we operate in, and the planet we all live on. Since its inception, Cacao Oro de Nicaragua has developed an innovative approach to the production of high-quality cocoa beans in harmony with the environment and the native flora and fauna of the Nicaraguan tropical forests.

RAIN FOREST ALLIANCE

INTERNATIONAL SUSTAINABILITY CERTIFICATION

Cacao Oro has achieved international recognition through the prestigious R.A. Sustainable Certification, and we are fully committed to upholding this esteemed designation. To ensure the continuous adherence to stringent certification requirements, we have implemented a comprehensive set of protocols.

Our proactive measures include multiple live communication tools for managerial training and team meetings, to serve as a platform for the proper evaluation of production objectives and the prompt addressing of any operational concerns. Our team receives updates on the latest revisions of the certification criteria, providing our team with the necessary knowledge and skills to comply with the procedures, thereby safeguarding our commitment to maintaining the highest certification standards.

ESG-SUSTAINABILITY

COMMITTED TO SUSTAINABILITY

Our responsibility is now more urgent than ever with the existing threats of changing climatic conditions and environmental degradation our planet faces. We believe we continue to produce cocoa beans with the highest quality minimizing our footprint on the planet. This is why we take responsibility for the impact of our entire production chain. We support precision agriculture strategies to meet our goals and create knowledge that makes our operation more resilient.

Future customers of Cacao Oro de Nicaragua will know that their cacao supply chains be 100% certified as sustainable, which is really the starting point for the sustainability to which we are committed. The importance of our sustainability focus falls upon our current Cacao Oro operations and acts as well as a fundamental guide for developing our outgrower projects involving indigenous communities adjacent to our farm. Our agroforestry business model is the ideal platform for incorporating the benefits of ESG-Sustainability principles.

ENVIRONMENTAL FOCUS

Our agroforestry farming model touches on all the following elements: biodiversity, materials conservation, proper waste management, water and energy security, GHG emissions reduction, and innovation. The by-product of this commitment to mitigate climate change is the protection of Nicaragua’s tropical rainforest.

SOCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY

We protect and motivate our employees to be team leaders, while building broader community relationships and respect. This means a workplace with the highest ethical and living standards, growth/Income opportunities, training and diversity, which enhances the quality of life of everyone interacting with Cacao Oro.

GOVERNANCE

We align our governance with strategic business opportunities for our clients, employees, and local communities. We have institutionalized the following norms: anti-corruption guidelines; proper best international labor practices; transparency; fairness and accountability standards; independent auditing and effective Board of Directors’ controls; and risk mitigation.

FAMILY MEMBERS
DIRECT EMPLOYEES
SPONSORED CHILDRENS
FOREST RESERVE

REFORESTATION ACTIVITIES

AGROFORESTRY

Cacao Oro operations are developed under an agroforestry model that includes an active reforestation program for degraded land. These damaged lands are often fallow areas that have been cleared for the purpose of cattle grazing by local peoples. This land was part of old growth rainforest land in the Country’s North East RAAN Region.

Our efforts include the core cacao crop planting, intercropping with temporary shade trees, Plantain and Caster trees, and lastly the permanent blending-in of indigenous hardwood trees for long-term crop shading. These hardwood trees also add to the cacao crop defenses against occasional high winds. All of this contributes to the maintenance of natural local foliage and habitat, and to date, more than 250,000 hardwood trees have been planted. We are very aware of the importance of our agroforestry efforts supporting the preservation of the northeastern region of Nicaragua as well as protecting the Bosawas Biosphere rainforest Reserve in North Central Nicaragua from encroachment by the agricultural frontier.

SUSTAINABILITY AND SOCIAL IMPACT

CURRENT SOCIAL
AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMS