HERSHEY, Pa., Dec. 19, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) and the government of Côte d’Ivoire announced today a new partnership to increase the company’s sourcing of cocoa processed in Côte d’Ivoire. They also agreed to expand Hershey’s successful Energize Learning initiative to Côte d’Ivoire, aiming to improve nutrition, increase school enrollment, attendance and retention and to further develop domestic food production. The agreements come after two days of meetings between Hershey management and his excellency Daniel Kablan Duncan, Vice President of Cote d’Ivoire, and a delegation of high-ranking government officials.
Côte d’Ivoire has focused recently on increasing cocoa processing in the country. With today’s announcement, Hershey and Cote d’Ivoire will work together on ways to increase Hershey’s sourcing of cocoa products that are processed in country. Additionally, in partnership with Côte d’Ivoire’s National Nutrition Council, Hershey will produce and distribute a vitamin and mineral-fortified, nut-based nutritional supplement, ViVi, to approximately 25,000 Ivorian students, starting in 2018.
“Côte d’Ivoire has been one of our most important partners for sourcing cocoa,” said Terence O’Day, Senior Vice President, Chief Product Supply and Technology Officer, The Hershey Company. “We are building on our collaborative relationship with Cote d’Ivoire to strengthen the cocoa sector and support children in those communities so they are able to focus on their studies, rather than their stomachs.”
“Working with Hershey, we will be able to continue to expand our cocoa industry and provide children in the cocoa communities of Cote d’Ivoire with a snack that is not only nutritious, but also locally produced,” said Vice President Duncan. “We are proud to work with Hershey and build on our partnership to help improve the well-being of our cocoa communities and health and nutrition of children as we work to alleviate poverty in these regions.”
Côte d’Ivoire is the world’s top exporter of cocoa and boasts a rapidly growing economy. While the future is promising, access to basic nutrition remains a challenge. The National School Feeding Counsel will distribute the ViVi nutritional supplement to children in Côte d’Ivoire, focusing on cocoa-producing communities.
Energize Learning is part of Hershey’s shared social purpose, Nourishing Minds. Using its expertise in food production and processing, Hershey is providing children with the basic nutrition they need to learn and grow. This partnership moves Hershey one step closer toward its goal of nourishing one million children by 2020. For more information visit NourishingMinds.com.
About The Hershey Company
The Hershey Company, headquartered in Hershey, Pa., is a global confectionery company known for bringing goodness to the world through its chocolate, sweets, mints and other great-tasting snacks. Hershey has approximately 18,000 employees around the world who work every day to deliver delicious, quality products. The company has more than 80 brands around the world that drive more than $7.4 billion in annual revenues, including such iconic brand names as Hershey's, Reese's, Hershey's Kisses, Jolly Rancher and Ice Breakers. Building on its core business, Hershey is expanding its portfolio to include a broader range of delicious snacks.
At Hershey, goodness has always been about more than delicious products. For more than 120 years, Hershey has been committed to operating fairly, ethically and sustainably. Hershey founder, Milton Hershey, created the Milton Hershey School in 1909 and since then the company has focused on giving underserved children the skills and support they need to be successful. Today, the company continues this social purpose through 'Nourishing Minds,' a global initiative that provides basic nutrition to help children learn and grow. From neighborhoods across the United States to the streets of Shanghai and Mumbai and villages of West Africa, our goal is to nourish one million minds by 2020.
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Contact:
Jeff Beckman
jbeckman@hersheys.com
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ea1c301f-ac8a-4f2f-bfcb-14918f746a5b