AAK Annual Report 2017

16 Products for every customer’s need Our products and value-adding solutions offer customers an opportunity to differentiate their chocolate and confectionery products to make them preferred by consumers. We offer a FXVWRPL]HG SURGXFW UDQJH XQGHU WKH IROORZLQJ EUDQGV TROPICAO ™ – a solution that helps chocolate to maintain a non-bloom appearance as well as its sensory attributes when exposed to temperatures up to 37°C (98.6°F). ILLEXAO ™ – Cocoa Butter Equivalents or Improvers (CBE/CBI) for chocolate with added or improved functionality or chocolate cost reductions. Akopol ™ – Cocoa Butter Replacers (CBR) for compounds with cocoa tolerance. Cebes ™ /Silko ™ – Cocoa Butter Substitutes (CBS) for compounds with fast meltdown and fast crystallization. &KRFR¿OO ™ /Deliair ™ ± )LOOLQJ )DWV IRU FXVWRPL]HG ¿OOLQJV LQ line with customer needs. $ W\SLFDO FKRFRODWH RU FKRFRODWH ¿OOLQJ FRQWDLQV DURXQG 30 percent fat, which plays a key role in securing a good chocolate experience in terms of stability, melting proper- WLHV WH[WXUH ÀDYRU UHOHDVH DQG KHDOWK SUR¿OH $GGLWLRQDO EHQH¿WV RI RXU SURGXFW UDQJH LQFOXGH LPSURYHG PRXWKIHHO DQG SURORQJHG EORRP VWDELOLW\ IRU D ORQJHU VKHOI OLIH (I¿FLHQW barrier fats allow for the inclusion of, for example, nuts in D ¿OOLQJ Securing our shea supply chain from West Africa For decades, the shea kernel has been an important source of nutrition and income in the rural parts of West Africa. $$. KDV EHHQ LQYROYHG HYHU VLQFH WKH ¿UVW NHUQHOV ZHUH exported in the 1950s and is today the biggest consumer of shea kernels outside Africa. Over the past few years, we have successfully shortened the supply chain by sourcing part of our shea supplies directly from more than 115,000 rural women in West African countries such as Burkina Faso DQG *KDQD $$. LV XVLQJ D VHW XS ZKHUHE\ ZH SUH ¿QDQFH the collection of the kernels at the beginning of the season, supporting the women and their families in improving their livelihoods. We are determined to further expand this direct sourcing program going forward as it clearly adds value to the women and their families in West Africa, since AAK this way receives better-quality kernels, and since it makes a difference in our supply chain.