Chocolate On Purpose: Leading Business for Good Through Verified Impact & Indigenous Economic Sovereignty
What Is World Social Enterprise Day?
Every 20 November, social enterprises worldwide celebrate World Social Enterprise Day- a global movement recognising businesses that prioritise people, planet, and purpose over profit maximisation.
In 2025, the theme is, "Thriving on Purpose". This means both making the conscious decision to thrive as people leading change, as well as achieving real, lasting change through the missions of our businesses.
For Chocolate On Purpose, this day represents more than celebration. It's validation that business for good is possible, scalable, and essential.
Understanding Social Enterprise: Beyond Profit
A social enterprise is a business designed to solve social or environmental problems whilst operating on a self-sustaining revenue model. Unlike traditional charities dependent on grants, or conventional corporations extracting wealth for shareholders, social enterprises reinvest surplus into their mission.
Key characteristics of authentic social enterprise:
- 🌱 Purpose is locked into governance structures (not just marketing)
- 💰 Self-sustaining revenue model (earned income covers 50-100% of operating costs)
- 🔄 Surplus reinvested into communities, not private extraction
This model directly challenges the extractive economy that has historically marginalised Indigenous peoples and women.
Our Chocolate On Purpose Constitution legally locks in our purpose: it documents our mission to empower Indigenous women and protect Country, our commitment to reinvest 50%+ of profits back into World Cacao and Australian First Nations communities, and the governance structures that keep us accountable.
Your chocolate purchase isn't just a transaction—it's a guarantee that your money creates real, lasting change.
Chocolate On Purpose®: Australia's First Indigenous Chocolate Company
Founded in 2012 by Wiradyuri woman Fiona Harrison, Chocolate On Purpose is Australia's first 100% Indigenous-owned chocolate company- and a Certified Social Enterprise through Social Traders and People + Planet First certification programs.
Our Mission & Impact
We transform sales from transactional to transformational. When you choose Chocolate On Purpose, you're supporting:
- 🌿 Indigenous Economic Sovereignty: Preserving 65,000 years of botanical wisdom whilst creating pathways for Aboriginal women to lead
- 🌍 Global Equity: Lifting 122,000 cacao farmers out of poverty and eradicating 25,000 cases of forced child labour
- 👩 Women's Empowerment: Advancing 37,000+ Indigenous women cacao farmers and creating employment for Aboriginal women aged 45+
- 🌱 Environmental Stewardship: Preventing 560,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions daily through palm oil-free, regenerative practices
Every chocolate bar sold reinvests 50%+ of profits into Indigenous & Cacao Growing communities, and the Planet.
Why Third-Party Verification Matters: Building Trust in a Purpose-Driven Economy
In a marketplace flooded with "purpose-washing", authentic social enterprises need independent verification. Chocolate On Purpose® holds multiple certifications validating our commitment to business for good:
- ✅ Social Traders Certified Social Enterprise (Australia)
- ✅ Supply Nation Certified (Indigenous procurement)
- ✅ Fair Trade Certified (ethical supply chains)
- ✅ Cocoa Horizons Certified (farmer empowerment)
- ✅ People + Planet First Verified (global social enterprise standard)
We're grateful to Social Traders- Australia's independent social enterprise certifier- and SECNA (Social Enterprise Council of NSW & ACT)- our sector-led peak body- for building the infrastructure that allows social enterprises to operate with credibility and transparency.
What People + Planet First Verification Means
People + Planet First is a globally recognised verification system for social enterprises, cooperatives, and regenerative businesses. It requires evidence-based verification across five core standards: Purpose embedded in governance, Operations prioritising people and planet, Self-sustaining Revenue models, Surplus reinvested into purpose, and legal Structures that lock in purpose long term.
This certification isn't a marketing badge- it's rigorous, third-party accountability requiring financial records, impact documentation, and structural transparency.
Global Recognition & Corporate Advantage
People + Planet First partners include Ashoka, Impact Hub Network, Social Enterprise World Forum, World Fair Trade Organization, and 100+ regional partners across Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania.
For corporate buyers, this verification simplifies ESG due diligence, validates ethical supply chains, confirms third-party verification (not self-declared claims), and demonstrates commitment to Indigenous economic sovereignty and modern slavery eradication.
Celebrating Our Fellow Social Enterprises
On World Social Enterprise Day, we celebrate the incredible Indigenous-led social enterprises transforming Australia's economy and culture. We're particularly inspired by the work of our friends at:
South Coast Seaweed – Connecting First Nations seaweed knowledge and sustainable harvesting with innovative products. They're revitalising traditional ecological knowledge whilst building Australia's emerging seaweed sector.
Clothing the Gaps – A B-Corp certified social enterprise creating fashion with a message. They unite people through clothing that advocates for First Nations justice.
Waminda – An Aboriginal women-led social and cultural enterprise in Nowra cultivating traditional bush foods from their community garden. They're enacting a vision of Aboriginal women leading self-determined futures.
These enterprises- like Chocolate On Purpose- prove that Indigenous-owned businesses aren't just viable; they're essential. They're reclaiming economic power, preserving Cultural knowledge, and building pathways for Aboriginal women and communities.
The Ngunggilanha Project: Systemic Change for Aboriginal Women 45+
Funded by the NSW Government's Aboriginal Economic Development and Business Growth Program, the Ngunggilanha Project embodies 7-generation thinking and systemic change leadership.
Project scope includes:
- Retrofitting our chocolate-making facility to scale production
- Creating a native sensory garden reclaiming matriarchal plant knowledge
- Direct employment pathways for Aboriginal women aged 45+
- Youth training and mentoring through collaboration with Indigenous business
- Expanding procurement from Aboriginal growers, whose participation in supply chains is currently <2% of native botanical industries
Projected Social Return on Investment (SROI): $586,132.75 – translating to approximately $83,733 in measurable social and environmental value created per Aboriginal woman employed through the Ngunggilanha Project.
This project addresses a critical gap: Indigenous women represent <1% of leadership in the $300M+ Australian native botanical industry. Ngunggilanha changes that narrative..
Why Social Enterprise Matters Now
1. Eradicating Modern Slavery & Exploitation
Traditional chocolate supply chains have historically relied on forced child labour and exploitative farming practices. Fair Trade and Cocoa Horizons certification validate that Chocolate On Purpose refuses this model entirely- our supply chains are transparent, traceable, and ethical.
2. Indigenous Economic Sovereignty
Social enterprise isn't just about profit-sharing- it's about self-determination. When Indigenous businesses control their supply chains, governance, and surplus reinvestment, we reclaim economic power stolen through colonisation.
3. Environmental Regeneration
By refusing palm oil and prioritising regenerative practices, social enterprises demonstrate that profitability and environmental stewardship aren't contradictory. Our Aboriginal Carbon Credits (Wulburjubur Cultural Fire project) prove that Country protection and business success align.
4. Systemic Change Over Charity
Social enterprises create structural solutions, not band-aids. The Ngunggilanha Project doesn't just employ Aboriginal women- it reclaims matriarchal knowledge systems and expands Indigenous leadership in an industry that has historically excluded us.
How to Support Business for Good This World Social Enterprise Day
- ✨ Choose verified social enterprises. Look for third-party certifications (People + Planet First, Fair Trade and Social Traders).
- ✨ Demand transparency. Ask suppliers about their governance structure, surplus reinvestment, and impact measurement.
- ✨ Prioritise Indigenous ownership. Support businesses led by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
- ✨ Think beyond price. True cost accounting includes environmental restoration, community empowerment, and intergenerational healing.
The Future of Chocolate & Business
On World Social Enterprise Day 2025, we celebrate not just what social enterprises have achieved- but what's possible when we redesign business around purpose.
Chocolate On Purpose is proof: authentic Indigenous ownership, verified global credibility, transparent impact, and extraordinary chocolate aren't mutually exclusive. They're the future.
This is what 'Thriving on Purpose' truly means: making the conscious decision to thrive as a leader of change, whilst achieving real, lasting impact through our mission. On World Social Enterprise Day 2025, we celebrate not just what social enterprises have achieved- but what's possible when we redesign business around purpose.
We're grateful to our customers and partners who recognise this commitment. It's thanks to all of you that we were named the Social Enterprise of the Year at the Australian Women's Small Business Champion Awards.
Mandaang guwu. 🙏
Ready to taste the transformation? Explore our Native Botanical Chocolate Collection and experience the power of business for good.
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