Divine Chocolate Is Voted UK's Favourite Fairtrade Product

Divine, the only Fairtrade chocolate company in the world to be 45% owned by the farmers who supply its cocoa, is celebrating after its Milk Chocolate with Toffee & Sea Salt was named as the UK's Favourite Fairtrade Product at a reception held last night (15 October) to mark 20 years of Fairtrade in the UK.

The public praised Divine's chocolate bar for its "innovative flavour", calling it "just the ticket for an autumnal fireside tea-break", their "favourite little luxury" and "absolutely scrumptious". One person summed up its appeal as, "tastes good, feels good, does good." But for one fan, Divine's Milk Chocolate with Toffee & Sea Salt is almost too good. "Can't eat just 1 square. It's the whole bar every time actually," he said.

More than 1,700 members of the public nominated their favourite Fairtrade product for the award, with big-name global brands, supermarket own-label goods, and products consumed out of home all getting votes. But the public reserved most support for 'Fair Trade Organisations' – ethical companies such as Divine, that were created with the purpose of making trade fairer and whose products are 100% Fairtrade.

Accepting the award from chef, writer and broadcaster Allegra McEvedy MBE, who is Patron of the Fairtrade Foundation, Sophi Tranchell, Managing Director at Divine, said: "We are absolutely delighted that Divine's Milk Chocolate with Toffee & Sea Salt has been voted the UK's favourite Fairtrade product on the 20th anniversary of the FAIRTRADE Mark. Thank you to everyone who voted – it is public recognition for a brand that's not only delicious, but owned by the 85,000 farmers of Kuapa Kokoo, who will be extremely pleased to hear that their chocolate is such a big hit here in the UK."

Notes to editors

• Divine Chocolate Ltd is the only Fairtrade chocolate company that is also co-owned by cocoa farmers. Kuapa Kokoo, a co-operative of 80,000 cocoa farmers in Ghana, benefit not only from the Fairtrade premium on the sale of their beans, but also receive a 45% share of Divine's distributable profits giving the farmers more economic stability, as well as the increased influence in the cocoa industry company-ownership brings

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• Divine Chocolate Ltd is the only Fairtrade chocolate company that is also co-owned by cocoa farmers. Kuapa Kokoo, a co-operative of 85,000 cocoa farmers in Ghana, benefit not only from the Fairtrade premium on the sale of their beans, but also receive a 45% share of Divine's distributable profits giving the farmers more economic stability, as well as the increased influence in the cocoa industry company-ownership brings

• All Divine products carry the Fairtrade Mark. This is an independent guarantee certified by the Fairtrade Foundation that the ingredients are sourced under internationally agreed fair trade terms and conditions. These include a guaranteed, secure minimum price, an extra socialpremium payment for the farmers to invest in their own community programmes, long term trading contracts, decent health and safety conditions – all aimed at empowering farmers to make their own improvements to living standards and prospects for the future

The Fairtrade Foundation is an independent certification body which licenses the use of the FAIRTRADE Mark on products which meet international Fairtrade standards. This independent consumer label appears on products to show that disadvantaged producers are getting a better deal from trade. Today, more than 1.3 million people – farmers and workers – across more than 70 developing countries benefit from the international Fairtrade system.

Over 4,500 products have been licensed to carry the FAIRTRADE Mark including coffee, tea, herbal teas, chocolate, cocoa, sugar, bananas, grapes, pineapples, mangoes, avocados, apples, pears, plums, grapefruit, lemons, oranges, satsumas, clementines, mandarins, lychees, coconuts, dried fruit, juices, smoothies, biscuits, cakes & snacks, honey, jams & preserves, chutney & sauces, rice, quinoa, herbs & spices, seeds, nuts & nut oil, wines, beers, rum, confectionary, muesli, cereal bars, yoghurt, ice-cream, flowers, sports balls, sugar body scrub and cotton products including clothing, homeware, cloth toys, cotton wool, olive oil, gold, silver and platinum.

Public awareness of the FAIRTRADE Mark continues to be high in 2013, at a level of 77%.

Estimated retail sales of Fairtrade products in 2013 reached £1.73 billion, a 14% increase on sales of £1.53 billion in 2012.