Members of the Tony’s team have spent the last several days in West Africa. The first phase of their journey took the team to Ghana (refer back to our prior blog post, Tony’s in Ghana). After an intensive week in Ghana, the team traveled to Ivory Coast, where they set out to accomplish their main objectives: getting better acquainted with new cooperatives (for Tony’s), and to discuss the possibilities for long-term commercial relationships.

The cocoa supply chain in Ivory Coast is plagued by lack of organization. Relatively few farmers are members of cooperatives, and thus are ill-equipped to stand up against the powerful cocoa trade. Meanwhile the government in Ivory Coast offers little support to farmers resulting in a lack of necessary training. This overall lack of organization, combined with farmer’s lack of knowledge, control and power to broker for fair cocoa bean prices has resulted in low harvest yields and low prices, leading many farmers to resort to child labor.

Fortunately the Tony’s team also came across a number of organizations in Ivory Coast poised to improve cocoa harvests. Several local players in the cocoa chain are actually working to improve the cocoa by improving processing methods, leading to better prices for farmers and tastier chocolate!

The Tony’s team mission in West Africa highlighted by meetings with various cocoa producing organizations and farmers in both Ghana and Ivory Coast, will help to establish long-term trade relationships. In developing these relationships, the Tony’s team hopes to further contribute to the development of West African farming communities while simultaneously creating a path for tastier chocolate. As of January 2013 you will be able to judge for yourself as cocoa from the farms the Tony’s team visited finds its way into our bars!