Puratos, a global leader in bakery, patisserie and chocolate products, is proud to announce an innovation in the world of sweet goods: premium compound coatings made with 100% sustainable cocoa powder.

In 2012, Puratos started to exclusively use sustainable palm oil, certified by RSPO, in its compound products (branded Carat). Now Puratos is setting a new standard in the industry by introducing a great tasting, sustainable cocoa powder from its Cacao-Trace program.

More and more consumers are curious about where their food comes from. Along with a great tasting product, they want to be able to trace the ingredients back to earth, to the conditions in which they were grown and to the people who cultivated them.

Cacao-Trace is unique because of the approach Puratos takes towards the farming communities. Puratos invests in two cocoa collection and training centers close to farmers, in Vietnam and Ivory Coast. Farming communities generally don’t have access to such full-time services and support focused on their needs.

In the cocoa collection center, Puratos controls the entire post-harvest process. By taking care of the fermentation and drying of cocoa beans Puratos is able to provide high-quality raw materials to our factories ensuring that sustainable sourcing efforts can be combined with great taste. Physical traceability is managed through an internal control system, which allows Puratos to give customers full transparency on the origin of its cocoa.

By using Puratos’ compound coatings, customers are guaranteed a great-tasting product that is made with respect, both for the cocoa farmer and for his environment. In addition, all Carat items are gluten free and contain 0g trans-fat, responding to growing nutrition awareness.

Carat is Puratos’ premium line of hard and soft compound coatings and chips offering a variety of innovative chocolate solutions. In addition Puratos offers a select range of fillings and flavoring pastes. The sustainable range will be available as of January 1, 2016.