Five Ghanaian change-makers have demonstrated that value addition to home-grown raw materials can and should happen at home.
Charting new paths, Jeanne Donkoh, founder of Bioko Treats, started producing artisanal chocolate on her kitchen table and is now selling high-end products. Nana Aduna Il, the founder of Ohene Cocoa, uses his farm as a platform to educate tourists on the history of cocoa. Tutuwa Ahwoi, founder of Nokware Skincare, is turning cocoa butter into cosmetics – using her grandmother’s wisdom and formulae.
Koa, a Swiss-Ghanaian start-up, is finding value in what was once considered waste – the cocoa pulp. There is Yayra Glover, an organic cocoa pioneer who built an alternative livelihood system for his farmers. They are the characters around which the narrative on Ghana’s cocoa is woven in a new docu-movie, recently released dubbed ‘Reclaiming Cocoa’. PaJohn Dadson looks at how the film reveals the bitter human realities that hide behind the sweetness of almost every bar of the decadent bean.
A growing number of farmers and producers of cocoa by-products in Ghana are frustrated. They are concerned about how the narrative that suggests how current purchasing arrangements are arranged, supposedly, to protect them from the volatile world market prices fluctuations.
They believe this is a “colonial model which the British imposed on us”, according to Nana Aduna Il – a farmer who has been living off his cocoa for more than thirty years and believes they can do better. He contends that the system is one “we just took on and adapted as Ghana Cocoa Board. So what COCOBOD is doing without knowing is creating a kind of monopoly for the multinationals.”
The flavours of gripe about the current system are layered in levels that hit you with every bite. In Ghana, besides being a national treasure, cocoa is more than a crop – it’s the backbone of many rural communities and the livelihood of millions.
Yet for over a century, the value of Ghana’s cocoa has been diverted up the Northern hemisphere, locked in a system shaped by colonial history and sustained by global inequities. “Reclaiming Cocoa” peels back the layers of this complex industry, taking viewers on a journey from the lush cocoa farms of Ghana to the polished chocolate shelves in Switzerland – whose famous chocolate consists mostly of Ghanaian beans.
Current world prices of cocoa are hitting record highs with optimistic signs of this trend continuing, with the East now going around the commodities exchanges that previously handled all these trades, and buying cocoa directly from producers in West Africa. This is causing shortages in Western markets, and edging prices to go up.
In another documentary that looks at other markets, it can be seen that West Africa’s cocoa producers are pivoting away from Western companies, some leaning more toward the Asia ones with the objective to do more of the value-added work themselves, and to cut out middlemen.
Some countries looking to process all their raw beans domestically – in country – have met with investor, negotiating to build new plants; and set up direct sales channels in Asia. Substantial loans have subsequently been raised, and the projects have included processing plants and storage warehouses.
With cocoa production in West Africa forecast to hit record volumes, moving down the supply chain to capture the profits they have been exporting to foreign companies who just buy raw beans and process them in Europe or in the US would be so much more beneficial to West Africa’s cocoa producers.
The chocolate market in the East is growing the fastest for Swiss companies. Asia Pacific grew by 7.4 percent in 2020 for Barry Callebaut but globally, their sales were down 2 percent. For Lindt, it grew 10 percent in 2020, but overall sales were down over 6.
Here are some charts that explain pretty well the problems facing African cocoa bean farmers. This is where the money goes, in the cocoa supply chain. Retailers and taxes are 44 percent. Chocolate manufacturers take another 35 percent. Processors are in for 7.6 percent. That adds up to 87 percent or so. Farmers get only 6.6 percent. If, indeed, Ghana can just move over to the left and take that piece of the pie, the country can more than double its revenues from cocoa bean production in-country.
When it comes to cocoa, Ghana is the gold standard. And our narrative regarding the value chain of the product needs a looking into. In ‘Reclaiming’, the story turns to the past, tracing the surprising origins of Ghana’s cocoa industry in the 19th century to Swiss missionaries who, besides preaching the gospel, laid the cornerstones for a value chain that still shapes the industry today. From the mission’s archives in Basel to Ghana’s first cocoa farm planted by national hero Tetteh Quarshie, the documentary challenges historical narratives and explores a forgotten connection between the two countries.
Professing some possible solutions, ‘Reclaiming Cocoa’ in portraying the five inspiring Ghanaian start-ups, tells a story of resilience, resistance and hope. As it travels through the past, present and future of Ghana’s cocoa industry, the film poses a powerful question: What if the real value of cocoa stayed in Ghana, to nourish the land and empower the people who grow it?
Brought to life by an international team of storytellers, each bringing their unique perspectives and skills to the project, it was produced and directed by Swiss investigative journalist Philippe Stalder. The film represents a deep dive into the complex world of cocoa production.
Philippe’s commitment to investigate this unique value chain was matched by his partnership with Ghanaian Director of Photography Nana Yaw Asiedu Appenteng and his assistant Benjamin Addo, who ensured that the film captured the vivid, lived realities of cocoa farmers on the ground.
Behind the scenes, Sabrina Rücker – a Berlin-based editor, pieced together hours of footage, crafting a seamless narrative that interweaves historical context, investigative journalism and personal stories. The film’s voice is carried by Allysa Martinez, a Filipino-Mexican narrator whose sober, captivating tones guide viewers through the complexities of Ghana’s cocoa industry.
Interspersed throughout the film are moments of poetic reflection, brought to life by Adelle A’asante, a UK-based Ghanaian griot, whose spoken word bars add a layer of lyrical depth, grounding the documentary in the oral traditions of West African storytelling.
The sonic experience is further enriched by the sounds of King Ketelby James, an Accra-based Swiss music producer who composed the film’s score. His music, a blend of traditional Ghanaian rhythms and modern beats, underscores the narrative, evoking the spirit and pulse of the cocoa farms and bustling markets. To add a visual flourish, animations painted by Whitney Chinonye Ernest, a young Accra-based Nigerian artist, bring a touch of vibrant artistry, transforming complex ideas into accessible and engaging visuals.
This diverse and international crew exemplified the spirit of the documentary itself –building bridges, not walls.
hrough their collaboration, they have created a film that is as much a celebration of teamwork and cultural exchange as it is a call for economic justice.
