DOVE® Chocolate and Amazon Handmade Collaborate To Empower Women In Business

DOVE Chocolate is expanding efforts to support women in cocoa communities through the CARE organization, celebrating local female 'Makers' at Amazon Pop Up stores.  

NEWARK, N.J., Nov. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- As a brand that supports women everywhere, DOVE® Chocolate has extended its five-year relationship with the humanitarian organization CARE, to financially empower women in cocoa-growing communities in Cote d'Ivoire. Additionally, the brand aims to celebrate the entrepreneurial spirit of local women "Makers" at home this holiday season through a unique collaboration with Amazon Handmade.

Just in time for the holiday shopping season, DOVE Chocolate is collaborating with Amazon Handmade to curate interactive pop-up shops in select U.S. cities and online at amazon.com/unwrapchange. Shoppers can browse handcrafted gifts created by women "Makers" from around the country, purchase seasonal varieties of DOVE Chocolate products in-store or online, and learn about the inspiring stories of the women behind the products. Select purchases of DOVE Chocolate PROMISES® made in-store or online at Amazon will trigger donations to CARE, an international humanitarian organization fighting global poverty and world hunger by working alongside women and girls. The donations will be leveraged to continue to fund Village Savings & Loan Association (VSLA) programs throughout Cote d'Ivoire that equip women with the financial skills to foster thriving small businesses. These unique pop-up experiences will open on November 13 in Chicago, Seattle and Los Angeles (West Hollywood), and run through Thursday, December 3.

Additionally, for every online order of qualifying DOVE Chocolate PROMISES 150-piece bags purchased on Amazon beginning November 13, the brand will donate $5.00 to CARE.

"We're thrilled to continue our partnership with CARE, as well as forge a new collaboration with Amazon Handmade to bring to life a shared vision to empower women on the journey to financial independence," said Leslie Philipsen, Brand Director, DOVE Chocolate. "Just as we focus on improving the lives of women in cocoa-farming communities through our partnership with CARE, Amazon Handmade provides an opportunity that empowers women to thrive as business owners." 

Amazon Handmade provides an online store where Makers from across the globe sell handcrafted goods, including local women-owned businesses. With 12 product categories available for purchase, including Home & Kitchen, Jewelry, Beauty & Grooming, and more, shopping Amazon Handmade helps support local Makers while providing customers access to a wide variety of specialty, handcrafted products for every holiday, milestone or occasion.

"The smallest act – from choosing to purchase goods that were made by women or that benefit women across the globe – can have a positive ripple effect in the ongoing campaign for women's empowerment," said Global Leader of Amazon Handmade Katie Harnetiaux. "The goal of our combined effort with DOVE Chocolate and CARE is to make it incredibly easy to support women in business."

Five Years of Empowering Women in Business     

Over the course of five years, DOVE Chocolate has donated more than $1.5 million to CARE to fund VSLA programs throughout Cote d'Ivoire (CDI) and earlier this year, the brand's parent company, Mars Wrigley, announced an additional $10 million investment to expand programs in CDI, as well as Ghana.

"We are incredibly grateful for our strong partnership with DOVE Chocolate, now in its fifth consecutive year," said Michelle Nunn, President & CEO, CARE. "Their ongoing commitment continues to transform the lives of women in cocoa-growing communities in West Africa by empowering and supporting entrepreneurial ventures."

Last year, the brand also funded the construction of a new marketplace for women-run businesses. The marketplace, located in the village of Gueyo, Cote d'Ivoire, opened in October 2019 with new and improved facilities for women to run their small businesses more effectively.

For more information about DOVE Chocolate's partnership with CARE or collaboration with Amazon Handmade, visit the brand's digital storefront on amazon.com/unwrapchange or www.care.org/dove.

About DOVE Chocolate

Pleasure infuses life with passion, inspiration and purpose and DOVE Chocolate is on a mission to empower women to "choose pleasure" every day and live life fully with no regrets. DOVE Chocolate embraces the spirit of choosing pleasure by crafting chocolate that unlocks pleasure from the very first silky-smooth bite. Starting with only the best cacao beans, Mars Wrigley takes great care to maintain the highest standards of quality when crafting DOVE Chocolate. For more information about DOVE Chocolate, visit www.dovechocolate.com, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

ABOUT MARS, INCORPORATED

For more than a century, Mars, Incorporated has been driven by the belief that the world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today. This idea is at the center of who we have always been as a global, family-owned business. Today, Mars is transforming, innovating and evolving in ways that affirm our commitment to making a positive impact on the world around us

Across our diverse and expanding portfolio of confectionery, food, and petcare products and services, we employ 125,000 dedicated Associates who are all moving in the same direction: forward. With $40 billion in annual sales, we produce some of the world's best-loved brands including DOVE®, EXTRA®, M&M's®, MILKY WAY®, SNICKERS®, TWIX®, ORBIT®, PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, SKITTLES®, BEN'S ORIGINAL™, WHISKAS®, COCOAVIA®, and 5™; and take care of half of the world's pets through our nutrition, health and services businesses, including AniCura, Banfield Pet Hospitals™, BluePearl®, Linnaeus, and VCA™.

We know we can only be truly successful if our partners and the communities in which we operate prosper as well. The Mars Five Principles – Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom – inspire our Associates to take action every day to help create a world tomorrow in which the planet, its people and pets can thrive. The Mars Compass, inspired by the Economics of Mutuality, is used to measure the company's progress in service of its purpose; The world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today.

For more information about Mars, please visit www.mars.com. Join us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.

About CARE

Founded in 1945 with the creation of the CARE Package®, CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. CARE places special focus on working alongside women and girls because, equipped with the proper resources, they have the power to lift whole families and entire communities out of poverty. Last year, CARE worked in 100 countries and reached more than 70 million people around the world.