Tony's Chocolonely’s Post

Long-term commitment isn’t optional if we want a cocoa industry that works for farmers. The latest FAIR report proves what’s possible when companies step up: higher prices paid, more children out of labor, farms protected from deforestation — real impact at scale.

A New Chapter for Gawu Foods It is an exciting time for the cashew industry in Ghana. We are proud to finally introduce Gawu Foods to the community. We aren’t just joining the market to trade; we are here to build. Our mission is to help shift the narrative from exporting raw materials to building African industrial capacity, starting right here in the Bono East. For the 2026 season, our focus is on three key areas: The Farmer: Everything starts in the orchard. We thrive when our farmers thrive. By moving away from distant transactions and toward direct partnerships, we ensure our sourcing is fair, sustainable, and rooted in mutual respect. The Buyer: Consistency is our signature. We provide international buyers with high-grade kernels that are fully traceable and packed to global standards. When a Gawu Foods box arrives, our partners can count on quality they can trust. Policy Advocacy: Our work doesn't end at the factory gate. While we are currently building our own processing facility, we are spending the 2026 season partnering with existing local processors. This allows us to support the local ecosystem immediately. We are committed to advocating for policies that keep processing work here in Ghana. Keeping value local is the only way to create sustainable jobs and ensure that Ghanaian cashews power Ghanaian prosperity. The 2026 season is a chance to prove that African agribusiness can compete and win on the global stage. We look forward to working with the TCDA, the African Cashew Alliance (ACA), and every partner who shares this vision. Let’s build something lasting. #GawuFoods #GhanaCashews #Agribusiness #ValueAddition #PolicyAdvocacy #SustainableSourcing #MadeInGhana #AfricaIndustrialization

GBfoods Africa has secured a 2,428‑hectare concession in Ghana’s Afram Plains to supply industrial tomatoes for its Tema processing plant. The facility, operational since 2023, produces the “Gino” and “Pomo” concentrate brands flagship products in the Ghanaian market. CEO Vicenç Bosch stated the investment is about “building local capacity” rather than importing. Ghana currently imports an average of 54,000 metric tonnes of tomato paste annually, costing over $54 million per year peaking at $85.4 million in 2024. This move directly targets import substitution and value chain deepening. The acquisition represents one of GB Foods’ largest farming operations in West Africa and signals a strategic pivot toward vertically integrated, locally sourced agro‑processing. Source: Ecofin Agency #Ghana #Agribusiness #FoodProcessing #ImportSubstitution #TomatoPaste #GBFoods #ValueChain #LocalContent #FoodSecurity #WestAfrica #FitchAdvisory

In July 2018, Amethis invested in Merec Industries, SA, a Mozambique-based miller and packaged food manufacturer specializing in products such as maize flour, wheat flour, pasta, biscuits and animal feed. With Amethis’ support, Merec expanded access to affordable staple foods while strengthening food security across Mozambique and the Southern Africa region. The company diversified its product mix, scaled domestic production and improved commercialization, including an educational campaign to introduce pasta to consumers who traditionally consumed bread and rice. In September 2025, Merec became Mozambique’s largest pasta producer, with 20% of output exported to neighboring countries. Merec enables the production of 7 million low-cost breadsticks per day, supporting affordability for low-income consumers. Amethis also supported the launch of the company’s animal feed business, working closely with smallholder farmers to strengthen local food systems. Access all GPCA Deal Books here: https://hubs.la/Q043FPbm0 #VC #PE #invest #Africa

Tuesday Harvest #11: The Real Price of Love: Who Gets the Margin on Your Chocolate? 🍫 As you buy Valentine's Day chocolate, ask yourself: who really gets paid? The global chocolate industry is worth over $125 billion, but the farmers who anchor it see only a fraction of that value (Global Market Insights Inc.). This is a structural failure. 📌 The Margin Disconnect: 1️⃣ The 11% Reality: Cocoa farmers in West Africa capture only ~11.3% of a chocolate bar's final value (FAO). The rest is absorbed by manufacturers and retailers, asking the poorest link in the chain to subsidise the richest. 2️⃣ The Processing Deficit: Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana produce ~60% of the world's cocoa but process a minority of it, exporting raw wealth and limiting value capture at origin (US Department of Labor). While local processing is growing, Ghana hit 34% in 2023, the model remains unbalanced (Acumen). 3️⃣ The “Living Income" Gap: Despite the Living Income Differential (LID) premium, 73-90% of cocoa farming households still earn below the living income benchmark (Boysen, O., et al 2023, Food Policy). High global prices often don't trickle down. 💡 3 Key Observations: ✴️ 1. Origin Processing is Non-Negotiable: To capture value, we must stop just shipping raw beans. Converting beans to cocoa butter or liquor locally is where the margin lives. ✴️ 2. Sustainability Without Price is PR: Real sustainability starts with a fair farm gate price. Corporate programs that plant trees but don't pay a living wage are just marketing. ✴️ 3. The EU Regulation Shock: The new EU Deforestation-free Products Regulation (EUDR) is a hurdle, but also an opportunity. It forces traceability, which, if owned by producer countries, can be leveraged for a premium. 📌 Your Thoughts: The romance of chocolate shouldn't be built on farmer poverty. To fix this, should we prioritize higher raw bean prices or building local processing factories? If this resonated with you, please share with your network. ♻️ #TuesdayHarvest #AATIF #Cocoa #ValueChain #ValentinesDay Cc.Cygnum Capital

Rwanda Farmers Coffee Company – Kigali – #Rwanda Gorilla’s Coffee, the premium brand of Rwanda Farmers Coffee Company (RFCC), embodies excellence in East African specialty coffee. Established in 2009, RFCC sources 100% Arabica bourbon beans grown in Rwanda’s fertile volcanic soils, renowned for producing rich, aromatic profiles. With its state-of-the-art roasting plant inaugurated in 2014, the company stands as the largest coffee roaster in East Africa, with a daily capacity of nine tons. Gorilla’s Coffee is also Rwanda’s only instant coffee producer, meeting international specialty standards and holding Fairtrade certification. Beyond quality, its “Beyond Fair Trade” model ensures thousands of farming households, many led by women, directly benefit from reinvested profits. By choosing Gorilla’s Coffee, consumers enjoy world-class coffee while empowering Rwandan communities and strengthening sustainable ... read more https://lnkd.in/dj_MBXdY #GorillasCoffee #RwandaFarmersCoffeeCompany

Seven Ghanaian women left home to buy tomatoes. They never returned. They were traders. Breadwinners. Mothers. Builders of families. They were doing something many people don’t realise still happens every day. Crossing borders into fragile regions just to keep food moving. Let that sink in. In 2026, people are still risking their lives in the tomato value chain. This tragedy is heartbreaking. But it is also revealing. It exposes a deeper truth about our food systems in West Africa. We don’t have a production problem. We have a value chain problem. Every year, tonnes of tomatoes go to waste across Ghana due to poor storage and limited processing. Farmers dump produce during gluts. Prices crash. Income disappears. Yet at the same time, traders travel into high-risk zones to import the same tomatoes back into our markets. That contradiction should disturb all of us. It tells us that agriculture without value addition is fragile. And fragile systems push ordinary people into extraordinary risks. At Zayn Organic Cosmetics Industry Limited, we started with a simple question: What if every tomato had value beyond the fresh market? Today, we convert surplus and rejected tomatoes into high-value skincare products. We extend shelf life from days to years. We create new demand for what used to be waste. But this is bigger than cosmetics. When you build local processing: Farmers gain stable markets. Post-harvest losses fall. Rural incomes stabilise. And fewer people are forced into dangerous cross-border trade. This is what sustainable agro-processing really means. Not just products. Not just profits. But resilience. Because when value is created closer to farms, lives are protected further from conflict. Africa does not need more raw commodity trade. We need more value creators. More processors. More local industries that turn waste into wealth. The future of agriculture must move from survival trade to structured value chains. If we truly want safer food systems, stronger economies, and more dignified livelihoods, then building local value chains is not optional. It is urgent. And it is possible. #Agriculture #ValueAddition #FoodSecurity #Sustainability #MadeInAfrica #AgroProcessing #ImpactEntrepreneurship #ZaynCosmetics

Value addition starts with people This moment was captured on a cocoa farm in Asante Mampong in the Ashanti Region of Ghana, belonging to Nana Mbrantie Hene, a reminder that cocoa is deeply rooted in community and leadership. Ghana produces some of the world’s finest cocoa, yet much of the highest value in the cocoa chain is created far from places like this. When we talk about cocoa pricing, sustainability, and value addition, we are ultimately talking about people. Farmers, processors, and small businesses whose livelihoods depend on how value is distributed across the chain. From my experience working within Ghana’s chocolate industry, value addition is not only about making chocolate. It is about strengthening local enterprises, creating better linkages between farmers and processors, and building systems that allow producing countries to participate more meaningfully in the global cocoa economy. A truly sustainable cocoa future must connect global markets to local realities, starting from the farm. #Cocoa #GhanaCocoa #ValueAddition #ChocolateIndustry #Sustainability #AfricanTrade #DebzChocolateJourney

🌍✈️ Last week, I traveled from India to Cameroon, and something as simple as a paper napkin on my meal caught my attention. It had a phrase in Hindi: “Dane dane pe likha hai khane wale ka naam” — which roughly translates to “Every grain bears the name of its eater.” At first, it seemed like an old slogan, but it immediately made me think about the journey of cocoa beans — every bean, every step, has a story and a purpose. At COOKO, we recently spent a productive week at Chocoa Amsterdam 2026, connecting with global partners who are passionate about traceability in the cocoa supply chain. 🌱🍫 Here’s what we focus on: - Direct Sourcing: Every cocoa bean is traced from farm to bar, ensuring authenticity. - Fair Payments: Farmers receive transparent and fair compensation for their work. - Sustainable Practices: Our documentation ensures a well-maintained supply chain supporting a sustainable and ethical cocoa ecosystem. 🔹 Fun fact: Cameroon produces over 250,000 tons of cocoa annually, contributing significantly to West Africa’s chocolate economy. Yet, much of this cocoa’s journey remains invisible — that’s what we aim to change. Just like every grain has a name, every cocoa bean has a story. And at COOKO, we make sure that story reaches the world — fully traced, fairly sourced, and sustainably managed. #CocoaTraceability #SustainableCocoa #DirectSourcing #FairTrade #EthicalChocolate #CocoaSupplyChain #WestAfricaCocoa #CameroonCocoa #ChocolateInnovation #FarmToBar #TraceableCocoa #CocoaFarming #SustainableAgriculture #ImpactInvestment #ChocolateBusiness #CocoaFarmers #ResponsibleSourcing #CocoaIndustry #GlobalChocolate #AgriBusiness #CocoaSustainability #FoodTransparency #ConsciousChocolate #CocoaCommunity #CocoaMarket #ChocoaAmsterdam2026

#NestarCoffee Vanilla Vida MilklineAfrica Uganda has solidified its position as the world's second-largest vanilla producer, with exports increasing from under 30t in 2019 to over 600t by 2024,, aiming to maintain this momentum into 2026.  Production Capacity: Vanilla is now cultivated across 38 districts, including Kayunga, Mukono, and regions in the west, with new investments in curing and processing facilities, such as those planned by Vanilla Vida for 2026. Quality Standards: Ugandan vanilla, known for its high vanillin content (often exceeding 4%), is in high demand, though low prices threaten to encourage premature harvesting, which the government is actively fighting.