The unstoppable Mr Beast, aka Jimmy Donaldson, not only announced that he hit 383 million subscribers on his YouTube Channel this week, but his chocolate brand Feastables is his most profitable creation, generating $251 million in sales and netting $20 million in profit.
In an avalanche of announcements, Feastables now sources 100% of its cocoa from Fairtrade-certified cooperatives - and the brand is available in France at ‘every Carrefour location across the country’.
Fairtrade certification ensures Feastables chocolate is produced in line with the rigorous economic, social, and environment sustainability standards the Fairtrade label is known for, to help protect the livelihoods of cocoa farmers, farm workers, and their families.
Anthony Myers
"The status-quo of the big chocolate sector means nearly half of all children living in cocoa communities in Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire are engaged in illegal child labour,” said Donaldson.
“We created Feastables, and we're going to use the incredible network of our fans to change the way business is done in cacao-growing regions around the world. I know we can create chocolate that people can afford and that also pays farmers fairly, so kids don't have to work.”
For Feastables, which recently also joined Tony’s Open Chain sustainable cocoa platform, the breadth and depth of Fairtrade's impact and brand recognition throughout the global market means customers from across different regions will understand the impact of the certification.
Fairtrade America said that, for example, 71% of shoppers globally recognize the Fairtrade Mark and, critically, 86% trust it. Also, Fairtrade works with over two million farmers and workers in 70 countries worldwide.
Cocoa farmer poverty
“Cocoa farmer livelihoods are on the line. Despite chocolate being a hundred-billion-dollar industry, most of the people growing cacao, the key ingredient in chocolate, live in poverty. Farmers, especially in West Africa, continue to be excluded from their fair share of the profits and are struggling to adapt to the devastating impacts of climate change, crop disease, aging trees, and persistent price volatility," said Amanda Archila, executive director of Fairtrade America.
As part of its ethical sourcing strategy, Feastables said it is taking immediate and significant action in three ways:
- Sourcing 100% Fairtrade-certified cocoa
- Paying farmers and their families the Living Income Reference Price always because stopping child labour starts with addressing its root cause – poverty
- Working exclusively with farms that actively implement child labor monitoring and remediation systems (CLMRS) to identify, address, and prevent child labour
In addition, Feastables invests in local communities, children's education and wellbeing, and ensures farmers have access to skilled and mechanized labour to successfully operate their farms without child labour.
Anthony Myers
Feastables' fans can expect to see Fairtrade-certified packaging start to roll out in stores by summer 2025. Consumers seeking certified products are asked to check the packaging first before purchasing.
Beast industries
Donaldson’s company, Beast Industries, makes most of its revenue from commerce, primarily from the chocolate brand Feastables. Bloomberg forecasts that Feastables will triple in size over the next two years, whereas revenue from online content will only make up one-fifth of Beast Industries’ sales.
