Constructing quality from below: convention theory and regulatory alignment in the Colombian cocoa value chain

The EU regulations on deforestation and cadmium limits are reshaping governance in cocoa-producing countries. This study examines how Colombia’s cocoa sector constructs and institutionalizes quality conventions and how these shape prospects for EU market integration. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 22 stakeholders – including domestic chocolate firms, certifiers, government agencies, development cooperation actors, and producer support organizations – we identify multiple conventions: agroforestry as a domestic and civic convention; NTC 1252 quality standards, traceability, and cadmium testing as industrial conventions; pricing as a market convention; certification as a hybrid industrial-civic convention; and fine flavour recognition as a blend of industrial, domestic, and fame/opinion convention. These quality conventions have emerged through coordinated efforts among private actors, public institutions, and development agencies. We assessed these conventions using a three-dimensional framework: normative alignment with EU regulations, practical adoption by value chain actors, and structural inclusion of smallholders and producing regions. Findings reveal strong normative alignment but uneven practical adoption, as well as exclusion risks, particularly for producers in high-cadmium areas and those who sell through intermediaries, where traceability requirements limit compliance, and for smallholders unable to sustain certification without external support.