Better incomes in cocoa farming – that is the goal of Fairtrade's newly developed Living Income West Africa Cocoa Programme. It aims to systematically close the income gap for cocoa farmers. Lidl is the first partner from Germany: the discounter is switching its entire own-brand chocolate bar range in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and Austria to the programme – bindingly and independently of world market prices. The commitment is for a minimum of five years, thus creating planning security for cooperatives in the growing regions of West Africa. Up to ten cooperatives and their members in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire will benefit from this.

‘With this commitment, Lidl is showing how companies can make a concrete contribution to closing the income gap. The programme invests in the future viability of cooperatives. This is the kind of commitment we need from the cocoa sector,’ says Claudia Brück, Director of Communications and Policy at Fairtrade Germany.

Long-term commitment to better incomes and investment 

With the new programme, trading partners commit to paying the Fairtrade minimum price and premium, a supplementary contribution to close the income gap to a living income, and an additional investment contribution to increase productivity and other cooperative activities.

A living income means more than just covering production costs. It means that families can cover their expenses for food, housing and health, invest in education, build up reserves and further develop their businesses. 

Fairtrade: Pioneering holistic commitment to living incomes

Fairtrade is a pioneer in the field of living incomes. It was the first certification system worldwide to introduce binding minimum prices and systematically involve producers in governance processes. Building on this experience, Fairtrade regularly calculates and publishes reference values for living incomes. New living income reference prices are calculated on the basis of regional living costs, household size, sustainable yields and available cultivation areas, and will be published in April this year.

From pilot project to product range conversion

Lidl is the first partner from Germany to implement the programme together with Fairtrade. The discounter has been working with Fairtrade for 20 years and is now taking the next step in the cooperation: "Real change only comes about through scaling. Now it's time to set new standards and multiply the impact: We are now making fair trade the standard," explains Stefan Haensel, Head of Quality & Sustainability, Senior Vice President at Lidl International. The investments in Living Income will apply to Lidl's entire range of own-brand bar chocolate from August 2026.

Why structural solutions are needed

Around two-thirds of the world's cocoa comes from West Africa. At the same time, many cocoa farmers in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire continue to live in precarious conditions. Low incomes exacerbate social inequality, make it difficult to invest in sustainable farming methods, encourage exploitative child labour and increase pressure on forests. Even high world market prices do not automatically lead to stable, living incomes.

For Fairtrade, Lidl's switch is an important signal to the industry. Global supply chains are under increasing pressure from climate change, ecological limits and regulatory requirements. ‘If producers' incomes remain too low, this not only jeopardises human rights, but also the long-term availability of cocoa. With our programme, we provide the tools for structural change – now we need determined partners to implement it,’ says Claudia Brück.