Sustainability - committed to people and our planet

Our vision of sustainability

What is Valentino’s goal? To make the world happy through our delicious chocolate. The consumers who buy our products and the people they love are our highest priority, as well as the planet that gives us our raw materials. That's why we, as a business undertaking, invest in sustainable entrepreneurship, each and every day. 

 

Cocoa Horizons

Our partnership with Cocoa Horizons helps us make a meaningful contribution to a better future. Cocoa Horizons is an organisation that supports cocoa farmers in Ghana by teaching them to become more resilient. We do this by promoting ecologically friendly and diversified agriculture, providing them with better education, and putting a stop to child labour. In 2019 we put this organisation in the spotlight through our ‘Chocolate of the Month’ campaign. 

Local = extra special

Operating at local level has always been very important to Valentino. This is achieved, on the one hand, by supporting local organisations and by sourcing our ingredients as close to home as possible, on the other hand. In addition, the 250 handmade chocolates in our range are all made in our workshop close to Brussels and are therefore all real Belgian products. The chocolatiers, packers and store managers are also local people. With our 50 stores within Belgium we have a strong focus on serving our local market. As a family business, Valentino consciously focuses on local families.

On the road to more ecological production

Sustainability is not a ‘quick fix’; it is a conscious choice to which we give a great deal of thought, every single day. By continuing to invest in our chocolate atelier, we try to keep our carbon footprint as small as possible. Here are some examples of our sustainable choices: Our roof is equipped with 826 solar panels that generate 150% of our energy, we reuse about 40,000 liters of water every year thanks to our water tank, our workshop is provided with double insulation, which reduces our energy consumption to a minimum and we use optimised packaging that is recycled or recyclable.

Doctors without borders

Another good cause to which Valentino’s contributes is Doctors without Borders. We have been helping this organisation ever since 2007 by offering support to its hospitals and, more particularly, a women’s hospital in Masisi, a Congolese conflict area. This allows us to contribute our stone’s worth to this region, which is exceptionally rich in cocoa.

Locally sourced

Our delicious chocolates are indeed crafted with the help of many Belgian companies! We buy our sugar from Belgian and French farmers, our delicious chocolate is sourced from Belgian producers Callebaut and Belcolade, we procure our cream locally, and our liqueurs are produced by distilleries such as Lindemans from the nearby Pajottenland region.