Cémoi, the French leader in the chocolate market, has made the strategic decision to take its best cocoa products on board sailing ships. To this end, the French family business will inaugurate the future cargo yachts of the Breton company "TOWT" (TransOceanic Wind Concept). The first launches will take place as early as 2022 and transport will increase as the fleet becomes operational, reaching 4 ships in 2025. Eventually, 12,000 tonnes of Cémoi cocoa from Côte d'Ivoire will arrive in the port of Le Havre by sailboat.

The Cargo Ship solution developed by TOWT will enable Cémoi to save 1,500 tons of CO2 per trip, or about 150 g of CO2 equivalent per bar of chocolate, as of 2022!

Beyond its logistical aspect, the transport of cocoa by cargo yacht is also part of the societal project. Cémoi will enable future Ivorian sailors to be trained in this new carbon-free mode of transport.

In addition, the Perpignan manufacturer will invite consumers to share this great adventure by virtually boarding the cargo ships. Thanks to the "Anemos" traceability label, a unique voyage number will be affixed to the shelves to enable consumers to relive the fortnight's crossing of the cocoa!

Patrick Collin, Managing Director of CÉMOI, underlines on Yachting Art: "Transport by cargo yacht is an ambitious and above all global project that is close to our hearts at Cémoi. We are aware of the responsibilities we have as an economic player. This is why we have developed our responsible program "Cocoa Transparency". As a pioneer of sustainable development and organic chocolate, we are the only chocolate maker to master every step of our chain, from the selection of beans in the production areas to the preparation of our products in our chocolate factories. This initiative is an additional and complementary part of our "Cocoa Transparency" approach and is a concrete illustration of our commitment to the Global Compact. In addition to reducing the carbon footprint of our chocolate, this initiative reinforces the guarantees of traceability and quality of our cocoa, which will benefit from optimal travel conditions in dedicated holds. It is also a way to contribute to the development of Côte d'Ivoire, by training future Ivorian sailors. And, of course, we also involve consumers through a particularly innovative tool: the "Anemos" label, which provides a number for tracking, maritime transparency and production! By adopting cargo yachts, Cémoi is thus relying in concrete terms on an efficient, high-performance logistics solution that is uncorrelated to oil. And, as a family-owned group, we are entering a new era to envisage sustainable prospects for the decades to come. » 

Guillaume Le Grand, president and co-founder of TOWT - Transport à la voile, explains: "When Cémoi became interested in our ships, I immediately understood that it was for the right reasons: to reduce its carbon footprint in a practical, efficient and real way by offering a real surplus of soul and value to a product that necessarily comes from far away. Sailing allows this transparency of a chocolate of excellence; there is no cheating: the goods are on board, or not. And when they are, the final product, the chocolate will have that travel number that offers a true reconstitution of the maritime expedition, makes you a place on board. Turning a (drastically) decarbonised logistics solution into a commercial lever, and enhancing the value of a high-quality product, is certainly the most effective way a company can decide to take the necessary - and urgent - steps to build a more sustainable world. Naturally Cémoi, by filling the ships, over the long term and by making our ships an element of its strategy, offers us hyper-concrete and solid support: we will not forget that. »

When the wind picks up

The seasonality of northeast winds naturally corresponds to the seasonality of cocoa harvests in Côte d'Ivoire. CÉMOI thus places its transport within this natural phenomenon, reinforcing its commitment to sustainable development. The TOWT cargo yachts will enable CÉMOI to transport its premium cocoa between Côte d'Ivoire and France with a minimal carbon footprint and in a very short timeframe. The yachts will make their non-stop crossing in just a fortnight, compared to an average of three weeks for conventional cargo ships that often stop in different ports.

he cocoa involved in this sailboat transport will leave the Yopougon production centres in Abidjan for the Normandy manufacturing site of Cémoi, located in Tinchebray, Orne. From 2022, the chocolate maker will fill the holds twice, then four times in 2023, eight times in 2024 and twelve times in 2025. Its maritime and decarbonated commitment will eventually cover nearly 12,000 tonnes of cocoa per year, i.e. nearly 15% of the cocoa used annually by the chocolate maker.

Cocoa transported by sailboat will benefit from optimal travel conditions for an enhanced aromatic quality. It will be transported in dedicated, ventilated holds with controllable temperature and humidity. Sampling and analysis throughout the journey will enable its quality to be constantly monitored.