Social responsibility

Luker Chocolate joins Tent Partnership for Refugees with support for Venezuelan migrants

19-Apr-2022 - Last updated on 19-Apr-2022 at 08:35 GMT

Pic: GettyImages

Colombian cocoa supplier Luker Chocolate has announced it has joined the Tent Partnership for Refugees (Tent), a global business network of more than 200 major companies around the world committed to supporting refugees, including by hiring and training them.

With more than six million Venezuelans having fled their country since 2018, neighbouring countries in Latin America have gone to great lengths to help Venezuelan migrants economically integrate; yet unemployment among Venezuelans remains exceptionally high.

In Colombia, where over 1.8 million Venezuelans have resettled, they face an unemployment rate of 24% as compared to their Colombian counterparts.

With an obvious need for businesses to help refugees integrate as they start their new lives in Colombia, Luker Chocolate said it will welcome and include Venezuelan migrants in its chocolate production plant to promote diversity and inclusion amongst employees.

Alongside this, Luker’s commitment will also involve making sure Venezuelans receive equitable opportunities to participate in the wider hiring process.

Diversity and inclusion

Luker said it expects to start welcoming new hires this month, saying the initiative will support its wider diversity and inclusion strategy, and long-term vision to create shared value at origin.

Laura Cano, Luker Chocolate’s Director of Culture said: “At Luker Chocolate we truly believe that a world with diversity and inclusion is a better place. It is also what makes a difference in a winning culture. For that reason, we are happy to announce our partnership with Tent.

“It will empower our vision and purpose to work collectively and make the world a better place. We have been actively working with our collaborators and leaders in the diversity and inclusion plan and now we are ready to start this journey in April.”

Noni Rossini, Acting Executive Director at Tent, said: “Luker Chocolate is stepping up for refugees at such a critical time, and we are thrilled to welcome them to the Tent Partnership. By hiring refugees, Luker will not only build a more diverse and inclusive workforce, but it will also gain incredibly hard-working and loyal employees. We’re so proud of the company’s leadership on this effort.”