As Amsterdam gears up to celebrate its 750^th birthday in October 2025, there will be no shortage of memorable events laid on by the city over the coming months. With Commodity Centre Netherlands located in the heart of the port, we plan to be a big part of the celebrations.

As part of the cultural events in the calendar,  the city, often referred to as the “Cocoa Capital of the World”, once again hosted “Amsterdam Cocoa Week” this month. This is a premier global event for professionals in the cocoa and chocolate industries. Held in the historic Beurs van Berlage (Amsterdam’s former stock exchange), this week-long event comprises a trade fair as well as an extensive programme of conferences and networking opportunities. Integrated into the event is the 2-day Amsterdam Sustainable Cocoa Conference which covers topics such as cocoa pricing, health in sustainable cocoa, procurement strategies, and disruptive innovations.

With this trade fair taking place on our doorstep, Commodity Centre Netherlands attended the event and took advantage of the opportunity to meet with some key contacts within the industry. We also gave a tour of our port side facility to 16 visitors to the trade fair from all over the world, including Cameroon, Singapore, Ivory Coast, Solomon Islands, Ecuador and Brazil. It was a great opportunity to show off our extensive cocoa storage operation to some new faces in the industry.

Commodity Centre Netherlands is looking forward to hosting more events later this year to celebrate Amsterdam’s major birthday, including a corporate event on the quay to watch the majestic tall ships parade which will sail right past our terminal in August as part of SAIL 2025.

Did you know … 4 reasons why Amsterdam is known as the “Cocoa Capital of the World”:

• The port of Amsterdam is one of the largest and most important hubs for cocoa imports in Europe. A significant portion of the world’s cocoa beans pass through the port which make it a key centre for the worldwide cocoa supply chain.
• Amsterdam is home to many cocoa traders and brokers who facilitate the global trade of cocoa beans. Although closed 50 years ago, the Amsterdam Cocoa Exchange remains a symbol of the city’s historical importance in the cocoa trade.
• Several large chocolate manufacturers and cocoa processors have significant operations in and around Amsterdam and they play a crucial role in transforming raw cocoa into ingredients for the chocolate industry.
• The city hosts the annual Amsterdam Cocoa Week which brings together key players from the cocoa and chocolate industries. The event is used to showcase Amsterdam’s leadership in sustainability, innovation, and trade within the sector.

Commodity Centre Netherlands

CCN comprises two state-of-the-art warehouses built specifically to store bulk cocoa. The two warehouses are located in the Port of Amsterdam with direct access to the canal which enables fast and cost-effective loading and unloading.