03 February 2009
News from Kuapa - Divine Board meeting in Ghana January 2009
Report by Sophi Tranchell, MD Divine Chocolate Ltd.
Divine’s January Board meeting was held in Ghana. The northern board members flew in to Accra and then made the 5 hour journey up to Kumasi in a mini bus. On the way we stopped off at two Kuapa village societies.
In Kwabeng Society about 70 people had gathered at the Recorder's Cocoa shed – they were sitting in rows under a canopy to protect them from the strong sun. Christiana, who visited the UK last Fairtrade Fortnight to promote the Co-operatives Fairtrade chocolate, is the village recorder. We told them about Divine and how well their chocolate company is doing. They had many questions and animated discussions about current farming issues. It has been a difficult season, heavy and persistent rains last summer has meant that a number of the farms are really suffering from blackpod, a mould that attacks the cocoa pods. This is having a real impact on their yield and their income.
Then on to Abepotia Society, a village with 200 members, and another dynamic recorder, Ernest Asiedu Frimpong. They were curious to know more about Divine. They had received the machetes that were purchased with last years Divine profit dividend and there was talk about priorities for the Fairtrade premium.
The next day, at Kokofu Society, James Adiyiah, one of the farmers coming over to UK this year for Fairtrade Fortnight, was waiting to greet Divine’s board members. He gave an update on yields at the formal gathering of farmers. They had many questions, the older men present were keen to get micro finance loans like some of the women who had been supported to find alternative income-generating activities!
James was keen to introduce us to his wife – who runs one of the two small shop that he has been able to buy. Then he took us to see his farm. He has planted some of the new hybrid cocoa trees which have a rather pinky colour pod – and is growing very successfully with plentiful pods on the trees.
Nwineso Society was one of the first societies I ever visited when I first joined Divine in 1999. They were very interested to hear the progress of Divine and they made a commitment to continue to deliver Pa Pa Paa cocoa so that we could continue to make delicious chocolate. After a enthusiastic session with the ‘gong gong man’ who beats a big cow bell to tell the village news (like a town crier). We went on to see the well that had been sunk in the village using Fairtrade premiums.
In all the villages there was much evidence of beans drying on bamboo mats – and it seems the harvest may go on for a little longer than usual this year as there are still more pods on trees. Sandy Balfour, the Chair of the Divine Board, filmed the whole trip – which will give us lots more up to date footage of Kuapa Kokoo farmers and their villages to show at events and on our website.