Ghana is Cocoa, Cocoa is Ghana
Spencer has returned from a trip to Ghana with Cacao Latitudes to visit cocoa farms, meet growers and learn more about one of the largest cocoa-producing countries in the world. Here's some of his first reflections.
Words by Spencer Hyman
I’m just back from a nine day trip to Ghana, and first and foremost a huge thanks to Kate, Kristy, Sarah, Greg, Leslie and the whole team at Three Mountains for making this such an amazing experience. I’ve come back with my head buzzing, and look forward to writing, blogging and discussing some of the learnings. So, if you want to know more about how cocoa pods smell or how to hand pollinate cocoa flowers, or more about the whole supply chain, please watch this space.
First off, here are a few of the factors that most surprised me. For those of you who are old West Africa hands they may not be that surprising – and indeed I may have misconstrued what’s really happening (do write in to correct me). But I’ve come away with massive admiration for the cocoa farmers of Ghana, Ghana’s vibrant culture and cuisine and for the work that Leslie and Three Mountains are doing with Cocobod, the government body that controls ALL sales of cocoa in Ghana (of which more later …). And we can’t wait to list some bars made from their beans soon.
What surprised me and I really wasn’t expecting:
For a country that is ranked 120 on the World Happiness Index, there is an amazing amount of smiling, thanks and general HAPPINESS from the immigration officers through to the school kids, and from the farmers through to market traders. (Almost) everyone we met was smiling, and it really does appear that this is a country whose people are determined to view life as “glass half full”. Note: this is not to say that Ghana, like the rest of the world does not have major social issues including the notorious problems of child labour and indentured labour, that is present across all industries and not just in Africa (and huge thanks to BB and to Bernard of Silver Stag of STAND international for their insights here). And again, like the rest of the world issues like drugs and global warming are all massive challenges. But as Jamie (a fellow student) wisely observed, envy is bizarrely absent in both kids and adults. There are a host of academic studies on this attributing it to a combination of stable social structures, religion, culture etc. Whatever it is, it was refreshing and a blast!
A couple of surprises about Ghana and Cocoa (and expect lots more on this)
The history, economy, environment and both social and political structures have been inextricably linked to Ghana for over a century – and the people we met really do believe that “Ghana is cocoa and cocoa is Ghana”. There is huge pride in having “the best cocoa in the world”, and puzzlement as to why the rest of the world doesn’t quite get this.
Ghana was not just the first nation in Africa to achieve independence back in 1957, but has a thriving democracy despite a few coup d’etats over the years. In parallel to the democratically elected government, the tribal chiefs play a critical role in the relative stability and cohesion of Ghana’s politics, social structures and culture. And whilst many criticisms can, and are, made of Ghana’s Cocobod, it too clearly is “part” of the system and, as we were repeatedly told, recognises that it has to work with the farmers, chiefs, government officials and NGOs. As everyone at Cocobod, and all its subsidiaries, reminds you: Ghana is cocoa and cocoa is Ghana. Again, I’m planning a longer post on this, and in advance thanks to Stephen, Patrick, Kwame and many other “staffers” at CRIC, CMC, etc. for their passion, insights and time.
The cocoa industry in Ghana (and elsewhere) is surprisingly concentrated. CMC, the commercial arm of Cocobod, has responsibility for selling all of Ghana’s cocoa and has on it books around 50 customers; of these customers only 20-25 are “active”, and three (Callebault, Cargill and Olam) account for over 60% of all purchases of Cocoa from Ghana.
At the same time, the “sales team” of CMC reflects this with a very small trading team in Ghana and satellite offices in London and New York handling all these sales.
By contrast, there are over 800,000 cocoa farmers (a quoted number that stays suspiciously constant over time), and huge teams of researchers, quality inspectors, warehouse teams, etc. to manage the 400-900,000 tonnes of cocoa grown in Ghana each year.I’d heard about hand pollination of cocoa before, but never realised how tricky it is. Hats off to Sarah and the team at CRIG (Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana) for demonstrating their dexterity in this complex task. To appreciate how skillful you need to be here, we’ll soon be sharing some videos of us trying, and failing, to hand pollinate. Hand pollination provides yet another challenge, and flashing warning light, of global warning and environmental challenges.
Most Ghanaian cocoa does NOT get transformed into chocolate bars; over two thirds gets turned into cocoa butter and ancillary products (mainly cocoa powder that is used for biscuits, cakes, icecream, etc.).
Relatively little chocolate is consumed in Ghana – less than 0.5kg per person per year (contrast to UK at 8.1 kgpcpa and US at 4.4 kgpcpa). The executive team at Cocobod has plans to double domestic consumption – so don’t be surprised to see Ghana leading a move to drinking chocolate.
Meal time .. first and foremost, there are a LOT of foods that were pretty new to me; everything from Foo-Foo to amazing ways to cook with plantain, cassava (gari), peanuts with lots of chilis and ginger. And yet outside of Ghana, there are relatively few Ghanaian restaurants .. despite their love of food. See below for one potential reason …
… secondly, a word of advice (and thanks to Barnard for stopping me from making even more of an idiot of myself here). Ghanaian people are great conversationalists, but for many Ghanaians the habit of talking whilst having a meal isn’t automatic or customary. However once the food is eaten, chatting and kicking back AFTER the meal is welcomed… so apologies again to Debbie, BBs wife, for my faux pas here and preventing her eating her lunch.
Finally, hat’s off to Greg D’Alesandre for his packing skills and amazing list of gear, chargers etc.. We’ll share a short video where he explains how one pair of vibram shoes is all you really need, and there will be a longer version where he literally unpacks ALL his kit from space age travel blankets to chopsticks that convert to spoons, and a cornucopia of wash bag ideas. So if you want to know how to pack for a month with one small hand carry on and a (small) back pack, sit back and enjoy!
Thanks again to the team who made Ghana 2024 such a great experience and my head is still spinning.
Spencer aka Kwadwo (pronounced – Kojo)
Note: Kwadwo/Kojo is my Ghanaian name. Ghanaian names are based on gender and the day of the week you are born, see here for more.
PS: Dr Kristy Leissle Pike, who designed the curriculum behind the course, is launching a Webinar Series called “Only the Truth” where, in her words, “experts will share their honest insights into the realities of cocoa and chocolate, no holds barred”. The first is a discussion with Kate Cavallin titled “The Truth About Speciality Cocoa” – full details are here and I strongly recommend dialling in.
cocoarunners.com