join the island grower’s programme

At Hotel Chocolat, we believe in growing cacao sustainability and in the right way – together. Our Island Growers Program is open to all Saint Lucian farmers who want to build a stronger, more rewarding cocoa future.

Join us. Grow with us. Let’s lead the future of sustainable cacao – together.

Vini épi nou. Plante épi nou. An nou mennen kakao-a douvan – ansanm.

ENQUIRE NOW Programme Overview

why join the programme? as a member you’ll receive:

Grafted seedlings at just $2 XCD each to help expand your farm
A loyalty price of $8.82 XCD/kg for consistently delivered wet beans
No need to ferment or dry — just sell wet beans directly to us
Electronic payments or cheque (up to you) within 7 days
A guaranteed market — we buy every kilo of freshly harvested beans you bring
Farm visitations and free Polygon mapping of your farms to support you in meeting international regulations
Training and support to grow more and earn even more

what does hotel chocolat ask of our island growers

In return for guaranteeing to buy cacao at at a premium price, we ask our Island Growers to adopt climate smart practices and work towards being more sustainable and nature positive.

This is outlined in the Island Grower Membership Agreement, which you will need to sign before selling your cacao to us. Please contact Martin Gaspard if you would like to see the full Membership Agreement.

Other conditions under which Hotel Chocolat will buy cocoa from Island Grower members are also laid out in the Membership Agreement, including, but not limited to the below:

You shall not undertake any of the following practices: engaging in any form of modern slavery, forced labour, child labour, illegal chainsaw activities, forest encroachment or deforestation, slash and burn practices, use of unapproved/unsafe chemicals;
You allow periodic inspections of your farms by HCE (Hotel Chocolat Estates) technical support team, via pre-arranged appointments;
You don’t use pesticides classified as extremely or highly hazardous as per “The WHO Classification of Pesticides by Hazard”

How Hotel Chocolat follows international regulations

Hotel Chocolat is also taking steps to meet new international regulations that affect how cacao is traded globally.

Under the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), all cacao entering the EU must be traceable and not linked to deforested land. To comply, we must create a polygon map of every farm we buy from — a simple GPS outline of your farm boundary. This helps ensure full traceability and keeps us aligned with international standards.

This means:

A Hotel Chocolat team member (like Martin) will need to walk the edge of your farm with you to record it accurately
We also need to record basic information about your farm and practices

By joining the Island Growers Program and working with us on these steps, you’re helping protect your income, strengthen your farm, and secure the future of St Lucian cacao on the world stage.

“Hotel Chocolat’s subsidised cacao plants helped me replace all our old trees that had died. i bought them by the hundreds. Now, we’re harvesting so much! They have the best flavour as well. ”

Patricia Lamontage – Island grower, Saint Lucia

MARTIN GASPARD CACAO SUSTAINABILITY MANAGER

Want to chat in person or meeting existing Island Growers? Come by to our Collection Point at Micoud which we run every two weeks.

Contact Martin via Whatsapp or Email and he will let you know the next date.

Email MARTIN WHATSAPP MARTIN

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THE ISLAND GROWERS CACAO PROGRAMME

“Hotel Chocolat’s subsidised cacao plants helped me replace all our old trees that had died. i bought them by the hundreds. Now, we’re harvesting so much! They have the best flavour as well. ”