Slave-free cocoa products available in New Zealand

last updated: May 2023

To learn why we consider these products slave free (and why this is important), check out our guide.

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chocolate blocks

Chocolate blocks with WFTO certification

Trade Aid - available at their own shops (including online) and some supermarkets. All flavours, including:

  • pure dark chocolate (70%) - vegan friendly
  • extra dark chocolate (85%) - vegan friendly
  • rich milk chocolate (40%)
  • milk hazelnut (40%)
  • dark raspberry chocolate (55%) - vegan friendly
  • dark passionfruit (55%) - vegan friendly
  • dark chocolate with mint (70%) - vegan friendly
  • dark chocolate with salt toffee crisp (70%)

Chocolate blocks with Fairtrade certification

  • Tonys Chocolonely, available online or from some supermarkets. All flavours, including:

    • milk chocolate
    • milk chocolate caramel sea salt
    • white chocolate raspberry popping candy
    • milk chocolate hazelnut
    • dark chocolate
    • dark chocolate almond seasalt
    • dark milk pretzel toffee

  • Green and Blacks - organics range only. All other Green and Blacks products are certified through Cocoa Life, an in-house certification that is much less robust:

    • butterscotch
    • dark
    • 85% dark.

  • Wellington Chocolate Factory, just the following flavours (look for the logo):

    • coconut milk chocolate
    • original milk chocolate
    • raspberry milk chocolate
    • coffee milk chocolate
    • salted caramel milk chocolate
    • salted caramel chocolate

  • Bennetto Chocolate, all flavours (which are also all vegan):

    • amaranth and sea salt
    • raspberry in dark
    • pistachios in dark
    • salted caramel in dark
    • mint and cacao nibs
    • intense dark
    • exceptionally dark
    • original dark
    • coffee in Madagascar
    • toasted hazelnut

  • Pico chocolate, available in health food shops and some New World and PakNSave supermarkets, all flavours (all of which are also vegan) including:

    • hazelnut milk
    • sea salt
    • salted caramel
    • super dark
    • mint crisp

Single-origin Samoan chocolate blocks

  • Ola Pacifica (all 60% cocoa, all vegan, all carbon neutral) - buy online or from selected Z petrol stations, supermarkets and health food shops (stockists list)

    • almond
    • orange
    • coffee

  • Whittakers single origin Samoan cocoa 70% dark chocolate

Chocolate blocks with Rainforest Alliance certification

  • Whittakers entire range, with the exception of their single-origin Samoan and Nicargaguan chocolate. This includes their 250g classic blocks, e.g.:

    • berry forest
    • creamy milk
    • dark Ghana
    • almond gold
    • salted caramel
    • white chocolate
    • hokey pokey

  • also Whittakers 100g specialty blocks, which include:

    • extra dark (86%)
    • intense dark (92%)
    • coffee supreme flat white
    • Italian piedmont hazelnut
    • Nelson pear and manuka honey
    • saffron salted caramel

  • Kit Kat chocolate blocks, all flavours, including:

    • family break
    • dark chocolate
    • chocolate whirl

  • Rolo block

  • Aero blocks:

    • milk chocolate
    • minty bubbles
    • caramel

  • Countdown own brand blocks:

    • white
    • milk
    • salted caramel
    • hazelnut

  • Nestle Crunch

  • Kinnerton NOMO (allergy friendly, available from The Warehouse - note that they don’t display a certification mark, but say on their website that they use 100% Rainforest Alliance cocoa), all flavours including:

    • creamy
    • hazelnot

hot chocolate

Hot chocolate with WFTO or Fairtrade certification

Hot chocolate with Rainforest Alliance certification

  • Milo

  • Countdown own brand:

    • hot chocolate
    • instant drinking chocolate (can mix with cold milk)
    • mocha
    • cappucino

  • West Coast Cocoa

    • deluxe
    • dark deluxe
    • peppermint
    • mayan chilli
    • caramel

  • Douwe Egberts cacoa fantasy powder - available from office supply stores

  • Allens Fantales hot chocolate

  • Aero hot chocolate

Notes:

  1. Devonport Chocolates products other than their hot chocolate don’t use Fairtrade certified cocoa.
  2. Milo and Nesquik products other than actual drinking chocolate powders (e.g. cereal, muesli bars, drink boxes) don’t appear to use Rainforest Alliance certified cocoa.

chocolate bars

Chocolate bars with WFTO certification

  • Trade Aid 50g milk chocolate and dark chocolate bars

Chocolate bars with Fairtrade certification

  • Vego (Fairtrade) vegan hazelnut chocolate bar, almond bliss bar (white chocolate) and nuts and berries bar

Chocolate bars with Rainforest Alliance certification

  • Whittakers slabs and mini slabs, all flavours, including:

    • peanut slab
    • creamy milk
    • almond slab
    • berry and biscuit
    • hokey pokey

  • Whittakers bars, all flavours, including:

    • fruit and nut
    • dark Ghana
    • white chocolate

  • Whittakers sante, all flavours, including:

    • creamy milk
    • dark chocolate
    • white chocolate

  • Whittakers toffee milk

  • KitKat, all flavours, including:

    • classic (various sizes)
    • chunky chocolate
    • chocolate fudge sundae

  • Pixie caramel

  • Smarties bar

  • Chokito

  • Nestle Aero bars all flavours, which are:

    • milk chocolate
    • minty bubbles
    • caramel

  • Kinnerton milk chocolate bars

chocolate biscuits

  • all Griffins chocolate biscuits except cameo cremes (which are made in a different factory with a different ingredient supply chain). These include:

    • squiggles
    • toffee pops
    • mallow puffs
    • cookie bear cookies
    • snaps

chocolate ice cream and frozen desserts

Ice cream and frozen desserts with Fairtrade certification

  • Ben and Jerry’s whole range (their tubs and slices are widely available, or buy ice cream cones from their scoop shops). Flavours include:

    • chocolate chip cookie dough (in both dairy and dairy free versions)
    • chocolate fudge brownie (in both dairy and dairy free versions)
    • triple caramel chunk
    • phish food (chocolate ice cream with marshmallow, caramel swirls & chocolatey fish)
    • half baked (chocolate & vanilla ice creams mixed with chunks of chocolate chip cookie dough & fudge brownies)

  • Little Island vegan ice cream (also made with Fairtrade sugar; note that they do not display the certification mark). Flavours with chocolate include:

    • chocolate
    • triple choc raspberry
    • mint choc chip

  • NiceBlocks chocolate ice blocks (also made with Fairtrade sugar; note that they do not display the certification mark)

Ice cream and frozen desserts with Rainforest Alliance certification

  • Magnum ice creams all flavours and sizes, both on sticks and in tubs. Flavours include:

    • classic (both dairy and dairy free)
    • almond (both dairy and dairy free)
    • white
    • peppermint
    • honeycomb crunch
    • dairy free sea salt and caramel
    • luxe ruby and raspberry

  • Kāpiti ice cream (all flavours and sizes, both on sticks in tubs or by the scoop - currently updating the packaging to include the RA logo). Flavours include:

    • caramel and almond
    • central Otago black Doris plum
    • rhubarb and raspberry crumble
    • hazelnut and chocolate
    • chocolate fudge brownie (plant based)
    • salted caramel and macadamia (plant based)

  • Trumpets (all flavours, currently updating the packaging to include the RA logo). Flavours include:

    • chocolate (including a vegan gluten free version)
    • boysenberry (including a vegan gluten free version)
    • vanilla
    • mint
    • jelly tip
    • banoffee pie

cocoa powder and baking supplies

baking ingredients with WFTO or Fairtrade certification

  • cocoa:

    • Trade Aid (WFTO)
    • Pams Superfoods raw cacao powder, available at PakNSave and New World (Fairtrade - NB certification mark not displayed

  • dark chocolate drops:

    • Trade Aid (WFTO)

  • cacao nibs:

    • Pams superfoods (Fairtrade certified but don’t display the Fairtrade logo)

  • cocoa butter:

    • Pams superfoods (Fairtrade certified but don’t display the Fairtrade logo)
    • Trade Aid cocoa butter (WFTO) - available exclusively from Piko Wholefoods in Christchurch (they deliver throughout the South Island)

baking ingredients with Rainforest Alliance certification

chocolate protein bars, muesli bars and granola

  • Chantal organics Cocoa crunch & raspberry granola (Fairtrade cocoa)
  • Nice & Natural chocolate coated protein bars (RA)
  • Nice & Natural chocolate coated thins (RA) - rocky road and double chocolate flavours

chocolate sweets

Chocolate sweets with WFTO or Fairtrade certification

  • Trade Aid dark chocolate hazelnuts (WFTO)
  • Trade Aid milk chocolate cashews (WFTO)
  • Vego (Fairtrade) vegan hazelnut pralines

Chocolate sweets with Rainforest Alliance certification

  • Waikato Valley boxed nuts range (scorched almonds - in milk, caramel and white chocolate - and milk chocolate fruit and nut) and their bagged sweets range (chocolate coated pretzels, raisins, hokey pokey etc. and coconut rough). Available only in The Warehouse.
  • smarties
  • Rolo and Aero bubbles
  • After 8 bites (note that actual ‘after 8s’ don’t have Rainforest Alliance certification)
  • Quality Street (all products)
  • Countdown milk chocolate almonds, sultanas, peanuts and licorice bullets; Countdown premium milk chocolate almonds
  • Belgian chocolate seashells and pralines (available in The Warehouse)
  • Allens freckles and fantales (note that the Allens bites do not appear to use Rainforest Alliance-certified chocolate)
  • Alison’s pantry chocolate snacks (available at PakNSave and New World bulk bins)

chocolate spread and sauce

chocolate spreads and sauces with WFTO or Fairtrade certification

  • Vego chocolate hazelnut spread (Fairtrade)
  • Trade Aid chocolate sauce (WFTO)

chocolate spreads with Rainforest Alliance certification

chocolate milk (including plant-based milks)

  • Otis oat milk chocolate oat milk (Fairtrade cocoa. Note that this product uses the single-ingredient Fairtrade logo: only the cocoa is Fairtrade, not the sugar.)

  • Little Island chocolate coconut milk (Fairtrade but not displaying the logo)

  • make your own from Rainforest Alliance-certified powders. These are the ones that claim to dissolve well in cold milk:

    • Countdown own brand instant drinking chocolate
    • Nesquik chocolate milk powder
    • milo

toiletries, cosmetics and supplements

  • LUSH - WHERE MARKED (Fairtrade). LUSH sell a range of bath, body, face and hair products, many of which contain cocoa butter. Always check the ingredients list: if the cocoa is fair trade it will say so after the ingredient name, if it doesn’t it isn’t. Most of their cocoa butter is fair trade but the cocoa butter in 2-3 products isn’t; none of the other cocoa products they use (e.g. cocoa powder) are currently fair trade. The cocoa butter in three products comes from the incredible Comunidad de Paz de San José de Apartadó: check them out - I was humbled to read of their commitment to peace-making in very difficult circumstances and would love to support them. Search for your nearest LUSH store here.
  • Jeuneora Beauty Sleep adaptogenic powder (hot chocolate flavour) is made with Fairtrade certified cocoa.

If you wish to make your own cosmetics, Go Native supplies non-food-grade cocoa butter for this purpose. They have two products, both of which are certified fair trade but both through certifiers we rarely see in New Zealand. This means Just Kai hasn’t analysed these certifications in the same detail we have analysed the certifications we recommend throughout this document. However, based on information in the International Guide to Fair Trade Labels, we make the following recommendations:

  • Fair for Life seems to be an excellent standard, with similar standards to Fairtrade applied with similar rigour. Go Native supplies non-food-grade cocoa butter certified to this standard. We are confident this will have been produced without child or slave labour. They also supply both refined and unrefined shea butter certified through Fair for Life.
  • Fairtrade USA, on the other hand, seems not to be a very good certification. It has good standards in terms of child and slave labour, but there is clearly a lot of concern that they are not effectively identifying suppliers that violate these standards. We do not recommend Fairtrade USA products. However, a product certified through them is still less likely to have used child or slave labour than a product with no certification at all. If you are making cosmetics and can’t do without deodorised cocoa butter, the deodorised cocoa butter certified by Fairtrade USA sold by Go Native is probably your best option.