You pay for a chocolate bar. But how much of that money actually reaches the person who grew the cocoa?
It's a reasonable question, and an uncomfortable one for parts of the chocolate industry. It also deserves a better answer than a dramatic, unsupported percentage shared on social media.
The journey from cocoa pod to shop shelf
A typical chocolate supply chain may involve cocoa growers, cooperatives or local buyers, exporters, processors, ingredient manufacturers, chocolate makers, logistics companies and retailers. Each stage has costs, risks and responsibilities.
And that means a £5 chocolate bar doesn't translate into a single simple number paid to the farmer. Recipes vary in cocoa content, sourcing systems vary, and the price on the shelf includes ingredients beyond cocoa, processing, energy, packaging, transport, labour and retailer costs.
Farmgate price is not the same as a living income
A farmgate price describes what farmers receive for their cocoa at a point in the supply chain. But whether a household earns enough to live on also depends on yields, land size, operating costs, household size and other income.
Fairtrade's Living Income Reference Price model attempts to estimate prices compatible with a decent livelihood under defined farming conditions. In April 2026 it announced revised benchmarks for Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire. The point isn't that every farmer automatically earns that amount; it's that responsible buyers need measurable ways to discuss adequate farmer remuneration.
Does expensive chocolate guarantee fairer outcomes?
No. A premium shop price isn't proof of ethical sourcing. Neither is a beautiful wrapper or a story about a rare cocoa origin. Certification and transparent sourcing systems can provide useful evidence, but no single logo settles every question about wages, farm incomes or environmental impact.
Ask which cooperative or region supplies the cocoa, what pricing or farmer-income programmes exist, what is independently checked, and what limitations remain.
What responsibility does a small chocolatier have?
At Salahuddin, we talk about ethical sourcing because we believe the people behind ingredients matter. But good intentions aren't enough. As we develop products and suppliers, we should be able to explain what we know, what is verified and where we still need to do better.
Being independent isn't automatic proof of better farmer income. It's an opportunity to make responsible decisions and be open about them.
We'd like a chocolate industry in which enjoying a bar doesn't depend on forgetting the people at the beginning of its journey.
