A magnificent VR cocoa adventure

If you're the biggest cocoa manufacturer in the world, the very success of your business relies on a stable supply of quality cocoa. And that supply relies on happy, healthy, productive farmers. Which is why Barry Callebaut takes sustainability very seriously. But sustainable cocoa will only become mainstream if the brands that Barry Callebaut supplies start buying more of it. Which is why Barry Callebaut set Nice and Serious a challenge: to help their customers see the value of sustainable cocoa.

We realised that their customers needed to experience the difference that sustainability makes on the ground. But of course, it wouldn't be practical to take every single cocoa buyer to Côte d'Ivoire. Which is why we turned to Virtual Reality. Using 360 cameras, we produced a film to take their customers right back to the origin of the cocoa they buy. The ‘Magnificent Cocoa Adventure’ enables customers to see and experience the impact that buying sustainable cocoa has on the lives of cocoa farmers, their communities and the environment.

The VR experience was launched at the 2017 ISM trade fair in Cologne - the confectionery industry's biggest annual event. The 360 videos, displayed on 'Choculus Rifts' played a key role in engaging existing and prospective customers with Barry Callebaut's 'Forever Chocolate' sustainability commitment. Custom Google Cardboards were also created to enable customers to view the film remotely. The 360 videos are now available for the public on Barry Callebaut's website (vr.barry-callebaut.com) and YouTube channel. 360 video snippets were also created to promote the experience on Facebook.