Supporting sustainable choices in F&B

Stéphane Bonnat (from Bonnat Chocolat) visiting a cocoa farm to elaborate with farmers on the tastes he wants.

In my last post, I spoke about Transparency regarding the origin of the product and the grower behind it, and how to communicate it to the customer.

In this second part, I want to look at Sustainability. This is one of the most expressed concern nowadays, and for good reason. Consumers are more mindful when looking for information to help them make better choices.

The concerns are limitless; here are some to ponder over:

• The growth of the product: linked to importance of the traceability, whether it’s an avocado, a cocoa or coffee bean, the question on the impact of the product on the planet is raised.
• The transformation: reducing the carbon footprint means looking at every step of the chain; the shorter it is, the easier it is to review. ‘’Bean to bar’’ is the perfect example. The chocolate maker, in this scenario, controls the whole process from choosing the crop to its development, fermentation, roasting to controlling the amount of sugar and milk added to the bar.
• The traveling miles: the ever-popular avocado toast on every brunch menu is more relevant than ever because people are getting more educated on seasonality and value more local productions. 

F&B outlets have a tremendous opportunity to educate and support sustainable choices.

Sustainable products, whether organic, hyper local or natural, might be more expensive and it is the vendor’s responsibility to communicate the value of these foods to customers.

So why not switch the avocado on the menu for local vegetables instead?

Stéphane Bellon, founder, Studionomie, Geneva

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