EQUITABLE BUSINESS MODEL AND DELICIOUS CHOCOLATE
ONLY FAIRTRADE CHOCOLATE COMPANY CO-OWNED BY FARMERS
SOCIAL MISSION TO HELP END EXPLOTAITION IN COCOA
CO-OWNERSHIP
AN INNOVATIVE BUSINESS MODEL
Divine Chocolate is a global social enterprise driven by a mission. Our mission is to help end exploitation in the cocoa industry, creating a world where farmers thrive and prosper.
Our business model reflects the belief that producers should earn a share of the profits they help to create. That’s why Kuapa Kokoo Farmers’ Union, a co-operative of over 100,000 cocoa farmers in Ghana, who grow the finest quality cocoa for our everyday and seasonal collections, co-own Divine Chocolate. Their stake in Divine Chocolate is a first in the Fairtrade world.
Empowering Women
LIFE-CHANGING IMPACT
For Kuapa Kokoo and Divine, encouragement and mentoring of women has always been a priority. Investing in programs designed to teach valuable personal and professional skills is helping thousands of women bring money into their families, even during cocoa’s off-season.
With financing from Divine, Kuapa Kokoo has established targeted activities, including intensive adult literacy and numeracy classes, primarily focused on women. Classes like these quickly illustrate how life-changing a little learning can be. A farmer who learns to write her name is instantly in a position to be able to sign for things, record transactions, and better negotiate the world around her.
Empowering Women
PIONEERING PROGRESS
In March 2017, Divine Chocolate published a new report: “Empowering the women cocoa farmers of Kuapa Kokoo.” This report was a review of 20 years of learning and pioneering progress in addressing gender equality in the cocoa supply chain.
The report shows a timeline starting with Kuapa Kokoo’s establishment in 1993. It illustrates how the co-operative has introduced initiatives to work toward gender equality by collaborating with partners (including Divine Chocolate). These initiatives have encouraged and mentored women, giving them a voice in Ghana and on the world stage. Many of the farmers that have visited the UK and USA as ambassadors of Kuapa Kokoo and Divine have returned as leaders in their respective communities.
The report includes
- Key lessons from this time period
- Quotes from women members of Kuapa Kokoo
- A selection of published books and reports to reference
The report was launched at a briefing event in the UK, bringing together the latest perspectives on the issues faced by women farmers in food supply chains and how to address them. The event featured speakers from Kuapa Kokoo, Oxfam UK, The Department for International Development (DFID), and Marks & Spencer.
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