Chocolate king Dominic Lowe can claim stronger green credentials than most –
his company is funding the planting of one million cocoa trees in Belize to
make the sweet.
“Chocolate was a core crop in Belize 1,000 years ago but the plantations have
died out,” said Lowe, 47, the managing director of Green & Black’s, the
makers of organic chocolate. “Now we’re working with the Maya Indians in
Punta Gorda and have planted one million trees and buy the cocoa at
fair-trade prices.
“It’s an incredibly poor part of the world and the Maya Indians are
subsistence farmers, so the cocoa plantations bring extra income.”
Green & Black’s is owned by Cadbury Schweppes, employs around 40 people in the
UK and has been launched in various other countries around the world,
including the US, Australia and the Far East. It sources ingredients from
Manila to Belize and Lowe travels extensively to oversee production and
sales.
What’s it like travelling to Belize?
It’s a long haul. You go through Miami to Belize City and it’s four hops down
the coast; it really is the end of the line. There are just a couple of
hotels there. One is just like a private house doing bed and breakfast, but
it is one of the nicest places I’ve ever stayed in and very clean.
Is it dangerous?
It can be, particularly if you get ill, because you are a long way from
medical care. I’m afraid to have to tell you that our man on the ground in
Belize recently died of a bronchial fever. It happened very suddenly but the
hospital there was very basic and couldn’t help. He was dedicated to the
cause, had refused holidays and was overworked, then got ill. Most of the
1,000 farmers in the area turned up to his funeral because they appreciated
how much he had helped them.
Flying to Australia isn’t very environmentally friendly is it?
I go there for three days and it really is a cardinal sin for a company that
cares about sustainability. We’re very aware of it and looking to cut back
on travel where we can and also starting a carbon offsetting programme.
People laugh but a big issue for us when we make milk chocolate is the gases
that come from a cow’s mouth and backside. The methane creates a big carbon
footprint and we’re looking at improved feeds for the cows to reduce the
methane. On my trip to Australia, I was in Melbourne for the Melbourne Cup;
it’s absolutely crazy in the city at that time, but unfortunately we didn’t
have tickets for the event.
Where do you go in the Far East?
We’re in Hong Kong and have an Asian cities strategy to also become
established in Beijing, Shanghai, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, so I travel
there, but not often. Hong Kong is the Manhattan of the east, with energy
and intensity, and the architecture is fantastic. We’re going to Japan, but
we’ve got to get the product right. They love small amounts in absolutely
gorgeous packaging. I lived in Japan when I was 18 and if you like
cleanliness, precision and professionalism, it’s second to none. The
Japanese temples are also an unbelievable sight.
