The climate conditions in the Dominican Republic are very favorable for cocoa production. Because of this, the Dominican Republic is one of the biggest producers of cocoa in the Caribbean region. The organic cocoa beans are produced in a complex agro-forestry system, where the cocoa trees are mixed with taller shade trees. This mix of trees help to boost cocoa production and, at the same time, promotes soil health.

We have a longstanding relation with our Dominican organic cocoa suppliers. Our suppliers are cooperatives of Fairtrade certified organic farmers. Over the years, we have bought considerable quantities of Fairtrade certified cocoa beans, which has helped to generate an significant amount of Fairtrade Premium money for the organic cocoa farmers. This premium money has provided funding for community projects such as scholarships, school supplies, health clinics for farmers, and women’s group project to produce various specialty cocoa products.

Sierra Leone has faced many challenges in recent history. Internal conflict followed by the Ebola crisis caused the cocoa market to collapse, leaving many cocoa farmers with difficult access to the world market. In 2015, Tradin Organic started working with these farmers to set up an organic certified cocoa sourcing project. We configured a local control system with dedicated quality coordinators and invested in trainings and registration for farmers. This allowed us to successfully pass the organic audit and start exporting organic cocoa. 

With our organic cocoa production in full swing, our activities in Sierra Leone are growing rapidly. We have our own sourcing and exporting office in Kenema and have trained a team of quality coordinators who ensure optimum quality. Each bag of cocoa beans is registered so they can be traced back to their respective farmer, and then transported by our own truck drivers to our warehouse in Kenema. Here our team checks the quality of the cocoa beans, before preparing the bags for export to the Crown of Holland facility.

Our organic cocoa project in Sierra Leone is creating new opportunities for cocoa farmers. The farmers now have access to the world market and they receive an organic premium for their cocoa. For the future, we are planning to expand our program of farmer trainings, which aims to help our farmers to increase their productivity and income. 

Working with our partner, we have selected a group of motivated farmers who grow cocoa in an extremely fertile area, producing cocoa with a unique terroir. The team of farmers is trained to ensure the finest quality of beans. The efforts of genetic selection, parcel management and perfection of the fermentation and drying process results in one of the finest cocoa in East Africa. This cocoa will accomodate perfectly to any chocolate, whether full bodied, round, dark chocolate, or a balanced milk chocolate with character.

We work with a network of talented farmers, most of whom are certified organic and UTZ. Cocoa yields the highest revenue out of all crops grown in the region. With ongoing instability in the country, this stream of income not only ensures that the farmers and their families are taken care of, but provides an alternative to turning to crime. As well as promoting organic agricultural methods, efforts are being made to deal with the deforestation issue, in order to protect the surrounding landscape and the communities within.

Peru is one of the most important producers of organic cocoa in Latin America. The climate conditions and nutrient rich soils in the Peruvian amazon region, help to produce a fine flavor cocoa. Peruvian cocoa beans are often praised for their rich flavor profile.

Most of the organic cocoa beans in Peru are produced by smallholder farmers. These smallholder farmers are organized in cooperatives, which support their farmers with technical services. In Peru, Tradin Organic works with several groups of organic cocoa growers, covering the different cocoa growing areas in the country. These farmer cooperatives are also Fairtrade certified, so we can offer Fairtrade organic cocoa products from this origin.