In the early 1990s, structural changes in the cocoa market in Ghana prompted Nana Frimpong Abebrese to begin creating a farmer co-owned company to help farmers sell their own cocoa. Nana was a visionary farmer representative and independent representative of COCOBOD (a Ghanaian government-controlled institution that fixes the buying price for cocoa in Ghana). With the support of Twin Trading, a Fairtrade company aiming to support cocoa farmers, Nana and a group of other farmers found ways to ensure the net gains of the company would belong to farmers, farmers could be paid in cash, and Fairtrade premiums could be invested in social programs. Kuapa Kokoo was born.

The cooperative was named by Hannah, Nana Frimpong Abebrese's wife; Kuapa Kokoo means 'good cocoa farmer' in the local language of Twi. The cooperative’s mission has the welfare of its farmers members at its heart and aims to empower them in their efforts to gain a dignified livelihood. Kuapa Kokoo initially started with a membership of 2,000 farmers from 22 villages, and was soon certified to sell Fairtrade cocoa, which would bring them a social premium they could invest in their farms and communities. Kuapa Kokoo's motto is ‘pa pa paa’ - which means 'the best of the best' in the local Twi language.

In 2006, Divine Chocolate turned a profit for the first time. As a result, Sandy Balfour, the then chairman of Divine, was able to handover the first dividend cheque to Kuapa Kokoo at its Annual General Meeting in 2007. It was a great moment in chocolate history, and a big step towards achieving Divine’s mission.

In 2009, Divine Chocolate launched in the United States. This was made possible due to the backing of the newest partner, Oikocredit. The announcement was made by Kuapa Kokoo farmer Comfort Kumeah on Valentine’s Day at a White House briefing on Capitol Hill. It served as the perfect moment to introduce chocolate lovers in the United States to “heavenly chocolate with a heart”. Comfort commented, “what an extraordinary example for other cocoa farming women”.

In 2018, Divine was audited and certified as a B Corporation - joining the growing movement of thousands of companies worldwide who are signed up to use business as a force for good.

Divine Chocolate acquired Swedish Fairtrade company House of Fairtrade. House of Fairtrade sells a range of Fairtrade handicrafts supporting artisan producers across the world and had distributed Divine Chocolate in Sweden for the previous 15 years. The move enabled both companies to continue supporting Fairtrade producers and World Fairtrade Organization (WFTO) artisan members around the world.

In 2025 Divine entered a B Corporation competition in collaboration with Channel 4 and won £120k of TV media spend. The brand created a TV ad shot in both the UK and Ghana, starring real farmers from Kuapa Kokoo, which hit UK screens in September 2025.