Divine Chocolate, the leading Fairtrade company co-owned by the Kuapa Kokoo farmers’ cooperative in Ghana, is inviting two members of Kuapa to join them here for Fairtrade Fortnight 2008 (25th February – 9th March).  This year Divine Chocolate’s tour will include visits to Ireland and Wales, as well as several events in England. Key events during the tour to which the farmers have been invited include the launch of Fairtrade Fortnight, a Fairtrade business breakfast in the City of London, a Fairtrade Roadshow in Wales, and a special meeting with the Irish President. 

Throughout the two weeks Divine Chocolate and the two Kuapa farmers will be attending a variety of Fairtrade-inspired events and talking to schoolchildren, shoppers and retailers, church groups and local businesses, government officials and Fairtrade steering committees.  They will be telling their stories of how Fairtrade, and owning a chocolate company, has changed their lives – and in turn discovering how much we love chocolate here in the UK – and why ‘chocolate makes the world go round’!

The current schedule includes England events in London, Nottingham, Exeter, Bristol and the Eden Project in Cornwall. In Wales the tour includes Bangor, Powys, Cardiff and Aberystwyth.  Then on to Ireland where visits to Dublin, Cork and Belfast are planned.

Mr. Kojo Aduhene-Tano is 50 and the Recorder of Fenaso-Domeabra Kuapa Kokoo Society in the Bekwai Area. He is also the Area president. He has a wife and six children. He has been a member of Kuapa Kokoo since 1996. He produces about 10 bags of cocoa a year. His village has seen a lot of benefits from Fairtrade.

Mr. Paul Ayepah is 36 and the Recorder of the Gyeduakese Kuapa Kokoo Society in the Asankragwa Area in the Western Region of Ghana. He is a farmer and has been a member of Kuapa Kokoo since 1999 and his Society has benefited from a new water well. He is married and has two children who are both in school.

Divine Chocolate has toured every year for the past six years with cocoa farmers during Fairtrade Fortnight, and 2008 will be the first time the farmers who come will be men!  Their roles as Recorders are key to the structure and organisation of Kuapa Kokoo – they are elected as trusted fellow-farmers to weigh the cocoa accurately and pay farmers the right price accordingly.  Each year thousands of people in the UK have had the chance to hear farmers speak and hear firsthand the impact of Fairtrade, and hundreds of them have had the chance to speak to the farmers in person.  This direct connection with the farmers behind the food we love is key to the appeal of Fairtrade.

As well as speaking and attending a variety of events during Fairtrade Fortnight, Divine Chocolate and the Kuapa farmers will be offering samples of Divine – the chocolate made with the ‘best of the best’ cocoa grown by Kuapa Kokoo’s members.

Ends

For further information please contact Charlotte Borger on 020 7378 6550, or charlotte@divinechocolate.com.  More details regarding our itinerary for Fairtrade Fortnight will be available on our website soon.

• For more information about Fairtrade Fortnight in Wales please contact Kate Meakin on kate.fairtrade@googlemail.com

• For more information about Fairtrade Fortnight in Ireland please contact Peter Gaynor on peter@fairtrade.ie

• For more information about Divine distribution in Ireland please contact Alan Clayton on alan.clayton@indigo.ie

• For more about Fairtrade Fortnight and Fairtrade news and latest statistics please visit www.fairtrade.org.uk

• Chocolate makes the world go round….. well it does for thousands of cocoa farmers in Ghana. That’s because Divine Chocolate is made with 100% Fairtrade cocoa from the Kuapa Kokoo farmers’ cooperative which co-owns the company. It gives them a guaranteed income and you guaranteed pleasure, so everyone’s sweeter!  (If you want a copy of the poster featuring this message – please contact charlotte@divinechocolate.com)

• For more details about the Divine range of Fairtrade chocolate and the story of Divine and Kuapa Kokoo visit www.divinechocolate.com

• For sales and stockist enquiries contact alistair@divinechocolate.com or find more details on www.divinechocolate.com

• Kuapa Kokoo, the co-operative of 45000 cocoa farmers in Ghana who grow the Fairtrade beans for Divine and Dubble, owns 45% of Divine Chocolate Ltd, so both get a fair deal for their cocoa and share in the profits.

• Divine Chocolate Inc has now launched in the USA. This company is also co-owned by Kuapa Kokoo.

• All Divine products carry the Fairtrade Mark. This is an independent guarantee certified by the Fairtrade Foundation that the ingredients are sourced under internationally agreed fair trade terms and conditions. These include a guaranteed, secure minimum price, an extra social premium payment for the farmers to invest in their own community programmes, long term trading contracts, decent health and safety conditions – all aimed at empowering farmers to increase their ability to be self sufficient.