Commitment
Social engagement – we own our responsibility
Both in the countries of origin of the raw materials and in Switzerland, Chocolat Stella Bernrain takes its social and economic responsibility seriously. The well-being of all employees, including the raw material producers and farmers, is a major priority for Chocolat Stella Bernrain. Our company is clearly committed to social engagement, and without it our success would not be possible.
Social engagement for our cooperatives
Chocolat Stella Bernrain is fiercely committed to numerous cooperatives. A few examples are given below. We would be happy to provide you with further information on specific projects, so please feel free to contact us.
Appta, Costa Rica
With the financial support of the SECO (the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, Switzerland), we support the cooperative in the production of organic fertiliser for their cocoa trees, the distribution of cocoa trees and fruit trees to members of the cooperative, and with training for farmers on how to grow their own cocoa trees with cuttings from delicious, pest-resistant cocoa varieties. These measures are intended to ensure a higher cocoa yield and also to offer other income opportunities, such as from tropical fruits.
Responsible Supply Chains
We strive to act in an environmentally and socially responsible manner and are committed to lawful and ethical business conduct in compliance with the UN Human Rights.
Therefore, we expect our partners and all actors in our supply chains to respect and promote UN human rights. The following international conventions and guidelines must be observed to this end
o Fundamental conventions of the International Labor Organization (ILO), with special attention to the conventions regarding child labor:
- Convention No. 182 on the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labor.
- Convention No. 138 on the Minimum Employment Age
o UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights
o OECD/FAO Guidelines for Responsible Agricultural Supply Chains
Happy Hazelnut Project, Turkey
Chocolat Stella Bernrain participates in the Happy Hazelnut Project by Yourharvest and Işik Tarim. Houses are provided for migrant workers who help with the hazelnut harvest. The children of the harvest workers and helpers are supervised and sometimes also taught while their parents are working. Stella Bernrain has been a member of the Happy Hazelnut Foundation since 2014 and has covered its entire demand for nuts for its own chocolate bars with hazelnuts from the Happy Hazelnut Project since 2015. Stella Bernrain pays a slightly higher price for the nuts, which allows higher wages to be paid to the employees for the harvest.
Social engagement in Switzerland
We promote gender equality and actively support the inclusion of people with disabilities in the work process. Women and men are equally represented all the way up to the top management level.
Prix Egalité
The Commercial Association of the Canton of Ticino awarded the Prix Egalité to Chocolat Stella Bernrain. This prize recognises the commitment shown by companies in providing equal working conditions for men and women.
“Agiamo insieme” prize
The Canton of Ticino and the Ticino Chamber of Commerce award the “Agiamo insieme” prize for exceptional efforts made to integrate people with disabilities into the workforce. Chocolat Stella Bernrain was awarded this prize in recognition of the support it provided to a long-serving machine operator following a serious accident that left him paraplegic and unable to do his job. The employee now works part-time (30 per cent) in the administration department. Chocolat Stella Bernrain enabled him to retrain internally and had a lift installed especially for him. For this, we were honoured to receive the “Agiamo insieme” prize.
