Charlie and the Chocolate Co-Op

Wandering through the stalls of the Minnesota Monthly Fresh Taste Festival a few weeks back, I was treated to a delicious morsel of Divine Chocolate and an equally delightful conversation with Divine sales representative, Dana Emmanuel. As she was relaying the history of the cocoa product that was currently mesmerizing my mouth, I was struck by what an excellent, highly educational spin-off documentary the Divine Chocolate story would make based on the movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

The story begins in 1879 when Tetteh Quarshie arrived in Ghana with cocoa product in hand from Equatorial Guinea. In time, Ghana became the second largest exporter of cocoa in the world, predominantly grown by family farmers on 4-5 acre plots of land. In the early 1990’s, a wise farmer on the Ghana Cocoa Board known as Nana Frimpong realized the need to organize farmers so that their voices were better heard.

After much debate, the farmers decided to pool their resources and set up Kuapa Kokoo, a farmer’s co-op which would trade its own cocoa in order to more efficiently manage the selling process. Previously, the cocoa trade was controlled by government agents that were notorious for cheating the farmers out of the full value of their crop by rigging scales, among other methods. Under the collective power of Kuapa Kokoo, cocoa production became fair and honest, with each village having their own cocoa scale and elected clerk. By 1997, Kuapa Kokoo took further steps to improve their collective by setting up a Fair Trade chocolate company of their own. With investments from The Body Shop and Twin Trading and support from Comic Relief and Christian Aid, Divine Chocolate was finally made.

The fairytale goes on.  Today, Divine Chocolate is the leading Fair Trade brand in the UK. In 2006, a US company was launched in DC in order to introduce the brand to the market in the United States.  The farmers of Kuapa Kokoo own one-third of Divine Chocolate in the US and all members of the collective are allowed to save money in a credit union. A small microfinance system has been put in place to help out new farmers who would like to start growing and to give small loans to women who wish to start other businesses so that communities are not completely dependent on cocoa crop for their livelihood.

Right, obviously this story sounds nothing like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory so far, but I do think Divine Chocolate could benefit from handing out a few “Golden Tickets.” Aside from the publicity, a tour of the Divine Chocolate collective in Ghana – a pioneer of social enterprise in a developing nation – could have a profound effect on any child’s life. And a lifetime supply of chocolate (given to those with the ticket) would definitely keep the farmers in business. Even the name, Kuapa Kokoo – which means good cocoa growers – has a kind of magical “Oompa Loompa” tone to it. But if you’re not all together sold on calling Johnny Depp and making the pitch, you should at least pick up a bar of Divine Chocolate and dig in. Social enterprise has never tasted so sweet!

• Divine Chocolate Company is a Fair Trade chocolate company co-owned by cocoa farmers in Ghana. The farmers receive premiums to re-invest in their communities and a share of Divine’s profits.
• Organization Type: For Profit
• Website: http://www.divinechocolateusa.com/
• Founder(s): Kuapo Kokoo
• Founded: early 1990′s
• Location: Ghana, UK, and USA
• See complete company list here