VIENNA, VIRGINIA AND GUAYAQUIL, ECUADOR - May 20, 2008 - The World Cocoa Foundation, at its 13th Partnership Meeting, held in Guayaquil, Ecuador, today welcomed six new member companies to its global cocoa sustainability work. The new companies bring the Foundation's membership to 67, representing the Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa, and accounting for over 90% of the world’s cocoa supply chain.

The new members are:
"¢ Transmar Commodity Group of Ecuador
"¢ Romero Trading SA (Peru)
"¢ Confectionery Manufacturers of Australasia (Australia)
"¢ Friesland Foods (Netherlands)
"¢ Rogers’ Chocolates (Canada)
"¢ Chocolate Marketing LLC (U.S.)

"It’s a pleasure to welcome these new members to the World Cocoa Foundation," said Bill Guyton, President, World Cocoa Foundation. "Today, we have nearly 70 member companies that are fully committed to driving economic and social development and environmental stewardship in cocoa-producing countries around the world. It’s only through such pre-competitive collaboration and in cooperation with our many program and donor partners that we can drive meaningful and sustainable change on behalf of the world’s nearly four million cocoa-farming families."

About the World Cocoa Foundation
Established in 2000, the World Cocoa Foundation is a leader in promoting economic and social development and environmental stewardship in 15 cocoa-producing countries around the world. With nearly 70 member companies from the Americas, Europe and Asia, the Foundation actively supports a range of farm-level programs harnessing sustainable farming practices to improve the quality of life for the millions of smallholder farmers growing this unique crop. For more information about the World Cocoa Foundation, visit: www.worldcocoafoundation.org.

World Cocoa Foundation

World Cocoa Foundation

The World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) is an international nonprofit membership foundation that promotes a sustainable cocoa economy by providing cocoa farmers with the tools they need to grow more and better cocoa, market it successfully, and make greater profits. WCF's membership includes more than 90 cocoa and chocolate manufacturers, processors, supply chain managers, and other companies worldwide. Member companies range in size from small and medium size firms to large international corporations and represent over 80% of the global cocoa market. For more information, visit www.worldcocoa.org.

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