Fairafric is a German-Ghanaian social business focused on value production in the country of origin. We produce organic chocolate from bean to bar in Amanase, Suhum. Although we had been in operation since 2016, it wasn’t until 2020 that we built our factory.
Globally, 70% of the world’s cocoa comes from West Africa, but less than 1% of the world’s chocolate is made here. By setting up the first solar-powered chocolate factory in Ghana, we are changing this narrative.
The norm has always been that the raw cocoa bean from Ghana is exported to the west and the value addition is done there. This chain of processes means that the country of origin and the farmer gain very little from the end product of cocoa – chocolate.
The core idea of fairafric that now forms our values is in response to these injustices in the chocolate industry.
The values of sustainability, value addition, and impact are the driving force of everything fairafric does. Although fairafric operates under the free zones, we decided to set up our factory in rural Amanase as we believe by being closer to the farmers, we will be able to impact them directly. Operating from the regional capital, Accra has immense benefits but this does not outweigh our mission of creating a direct impact on the lives of farmers.
Fairafric pays the highest premiums to our farmers through the cocoa cooperative, Yayra Glover. We pay $600.00 for a tonne of cocoa with the industry average being $400.00. By paying these premiums, we ensure that the farmers have enough to cater to their families and keep their children in school, hence checking against child labour. These premiums also encourage farmers to maintain organic practices.
