Divine Chocolate: Changing Lives for Cocoa Farmers
Divine Chocolate has been a Nomad partner for 5 years, delighting Magic Carpet ticket-holders with bars of delicious chocolate in each goody bag. Cinema-goers can also discover the story of Divine Chocolate and the ‘bean to bar’ journey with a short animation at the beginning of each Nomad screening. We caught up with Gemma Hood from Divine to learn a bit more about their work with the Kuapa Kokoo cooperative and its members…
Like The Nomad, Divine Chocolate is a social enterprise re-investing in Africa, as Divine puts cocoa farmers at the heart of everything it does.
But don’t just take it from us; Margret Fianko from Aduyaakrom in the western region of Ghana tells us first hand why being involved in Kuapa Kokoo has made a real difference in her life: Margret has been a member of Kuapa for 13 years. She is a mother of 3 and shares a 7 acre farm with her husband, where the majority of land is dedicated to cocoa production.
Margret says that “the best thing about being a Kuapa member is that they assist women a lot” - something of which she is taking full advantage: Margret didn’t have the opportunity to attend school but is now a participant in a Divine-funded numeracy and literacy program.
“Before the course I couldn’t do anything; I couldn’t read and couldn’t write,” Margret explained. “But now I can recognise letters and read.’
She is also putting her newly learned skills to good use to record the expenditure and income of the market stall she runs and was proud to report that she now knows how much money she makes and only spends the profit.
As a member of a Kuapa women’s group, Margret is also part-owner of a 1 acre community farm where women grow aubergines and okra, which are sold in the local market. Being part of a women’s group also means that Margret has received training in the production of liquid soap and screen printing to supplement the income she receives from growing cocoa.