YEYASSO is a cooperative operating in a rather remote area in the west of Côte d’Ivoire, which had been unstable until recently because of the civil war. It used to be a coffee region primarily which – also because of climate change – has become increasingly attractive to cocoa farming
Even though cocoa was already introduced to Vietnam by the French in the 19th century, cocoa production remained marginal for more than a century. Not until 2000, a government plan was launched to promote the crop in several regions. Vietnam is still a small player on the cocoa market but it has potential. The NAPP (Network of Asia and Pacific Producers), the umbrella organisation of Fairtrade-certified producer groups in Asia, also believes in the potential of Fairtrade cocoa.
Jean-François Delvaulx came up with the idea for Emotion Planet on a trip with friends to Morocco. But before that he was also thrown into Ecuador and was totally under the spell of Africa. Today, he offers travel ‘on a human scale’ in about fifteen countries on four different continents.
Tighanimine is a women’s cooperative in southern Morocco that produces fair argan oil. This oil is a coveted ingredient in cosmetics and in the kitchen. Argan oil is pressed from the nuts of the argan tree which acts as a buffer against the advancing desertification in the region.
As part of its marketing coaching programme the TDC currently accompanies eight cocoa cooperatives in Côte d’Ivoire. One of these is SCINPA (Société Coopérative Ivoirienne de Négoce des Produits Agricoles), which was established in 2003 in Agboville, just north of Abidjan. With its four buy – in sites SCINPA is a trustworthy partner reaching 3000 members in the region. The cooperative has progressed much and has built quite some trust over the years, for instance by investing in community projects such as schools and water pumps and because it has always defended the interests of farmers even during political turmoil. SCINPA has one major customer: Cargill. It co-sponsors Utz certification and the farmer field schools.
In Peru, smallholder farmers grow ‘criollo porcelana’, a cocoa variety with a fine and delicate flavour that has attracted the attention of famous chocolatiers. Meanwhile, this cocoa blanco has won several quality prizes.
Muungano has just been coached by the Trade for Development Centre (TDC). After two years of working together, Daniel Habamungu, director of the coffee cooperative, and Belgian Raf Van den Bruel sum up a “valuable” experience.
In Côte d’Ivoire, the cocoa country par excellence, ECOOKIM is rightly a pioneer. This cooperative, founded in 2004, is a national union that now brings together 23 local cooperatives in the country’s various cocoa growing areas. ECOOKIM defends the interests of no less than 12,000 of the most disadvantaged cocoa farmers. Its mission is to improve the quality of their cocoa in order to conquer the international market. In 2010 the cooperative obtained the Fairtrade certification, followed shortly afterwards by Utz and Rainforest Alliance.
In Burundi, ‘Horamama’ first and foremost brings to mind a traditional song which women sang on their way to the field or on their way home. The word means ‘courage’ or ‘power’ and helps them forget their tiredness. Today, Horamama is also a coffee brand of COCOCA, a union of 39 cooperatives from across the country.
Founded in 1963, COOPAKE, one of the oldest cooperatives in Burkina Faso, was born out of the desire of nine small mango producers in the west of the country to better sell their crops. However, it only really took off in the 1990s, when it started using ovens to dry mangoes. This processing of the fruit created jobs for dozens of women, but also enabled them to export to Europe.
