Luxury hotel chains are known for their exceptional services, which extend from highly personalised assistance and amenities to fine dining and quality products, all of which are meant to ensure a premium experience for clients.

As expected, quality and consistency are key to maintaining the high standards everyone expects, although it is a lot easier said than done, especially when it comes to procuring ingredients like cocoa whose sourcing relies on very complex and troubled supply chains and whose production is constantly impacted by extreme weather phenomena and pests.

Cocoa is a key ingredient in many food items included in corporate catering and pastry programs, and luxury hotel brands can’t afford to make mistakes in sourcing it, so how do they go about securing premium cocoa consistently?

Direct partnerships with trusted suppliers

The more entities involved in a supply chain, the more difficult it is to control the quality of the products you’re acquiring. Large hotels are aware of the risks and challenges, so they choose to work directly with a reputable cocoa powder supplier, bypassing middlemen.

Without intermediaries that can complicate the procurement process, hotels benefit from complete transparency, being able to track the path of the ingredients along the supply chain and find out exactly where they come from, and how they’ve been produced. They also look for stable suppliers that have been in the industry for some time, and with whom they can form long-term partnerships, as this guarantees ingredient availability and steady prices.

Regular checks

Even when the cocoa powder that hotels use comes from the same farm or region, quality can still fluctuate because there are many variables that can influence the end product. Most are related to tree genetics, climate changes, fermentation level, and post-harvest handling, including storage and packing.

To avoid potential quality fluctuations, hotels ask suppliers to check every batch and shipment to make sure they meet the requirements for moisture, fat content, fermentation consistency, and other important characteristics. The lots that don’t pass quality checks are rejected.

Sustainability certifications

Major hotel chains have some sort of sustainability program in place, which is to be expected since consumers’ demand for eco-conscious services and products has been increasing. So, it’s only natural for them to collaborate with suppliers that share their values and are just as committed to sustainability and ethical standards as they are. Most managers rely on certifications like Rainforest Alliance or Fairtrade, as this makes it easier for them to select companies that meet sustainability requirements.

Cocoa is the equivalent of gold in the culinary space. It’s a versatile ingredient with a unique flavour and rich history, whose value has been increasing due to the supply shortages caused by unpredictable weather patterns and crop diseases. That also means that securing high-quality cocoa is getting harder, but so far, luxury hotels seem to have the situation under control.

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