Trade As One

Our friends at Divine Chocolate have just announced that they’ve begun sourcing Fair Trade cocoa from Sierra Leone. This is exciting news for all of us, and we wanted to share the highlights. You can read the whole article here.

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Divine Chocolate…is delighted to announce that, for the first time chocolate lovers can enjoy premium Fair Trade Certified cocoa from Sierra Leone in all of Divine’s chocolate delights. 

Sierra Leone was ravaged by a decade-long brutal civil war which ended eight years ago. Rebuilding has been difficult.  This first Fair Trade shipment of cocoa out of the country is a sign of hope that the fortunes and prospects of the country’s farmers can be turned.

The first container of cocoa from Sierra Leone’s only Fair Trade Certified cooperative Kpeya Agricultural Enterprise (KAE), was purchased by Divine Chocolate and is of the required quality to be included in the Divine recipe. Kuapa Kokoo, the Ghanaian co-operative that significantly owns Divine Chocolate agreed to include this shipment in their brand as a sign of support for fellow cocoa farmers in Sierra Leone.

Erin Gorman, Divine Chocolate’s CEO in the USA says:

“The partnership between KAE, Divine and Kuapa Kokoo is a shining example of the power of Divine’s farmer ownership model.  Not only did Kuapa Kokoo offer technical support and advice alongside funding from Divine, they offered KAE a market for their product.  Since Kuapa Kokoo profits from sales of their Divine branded chocolate the move makes financial sense as well. 

Divine’s mission has always been to improve the livelihoods of West African farmers by pulling farmers higher up the value chain.  We believe our mission and excellent chocolate is what keeps Divine fans coming back.  With this cocoa from KAE we are extending our reach beyond Ghana and increasing our impact.”

KAE is based in Kenema, 200 miles out of Freetown, and has over 1200 members and 50 village committees. It was first established in 1996, during the civil war, and its growth and achievements are in part the result of the determination, passion and tenacity of cocoa farmer Ibrahim Moseray – the organization’s general manager.  Against enormous odds, Moseray has convinced farmers of the benefits of being part of a cooperative with farmers’ welfare at its heart.  With the help of Twin (the Fair Trade NGO behind Cafédirect, Divine Chocolate and Liberation Nuts), and other organizations such as the UN FAO and German Agro Action, KAE has trained farmers how to produce good quality cocoa, developed democratic structures, and learned how to export its own cocoa. Representatives from Kuapa Kokoo have come to Sierra Leone to share their expertise both in terms of running a cooperative and, importantly, improving the quality of their cocoa. Exchange visits have also been arranged with KAE representatives visiting Kuapa Kokoo.

Ibrahim Moseray says: “I am a cocoa farmer myself and my mother and father before me. During the war I saw the struggle of my brothers and how we were cheated by traders, and I wanted to do something to make a better life for us…”

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You can see all of the Divine chocolate we carry be clicking here.