The World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) and US-based chocolate producer TCHO have entered into a partnership to introduce innovations and quality improvements to cocoa grown in Ghana.
As a part of the project, WCF and TCHO will set up a Flavor Lab at the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG) and also support the on-farm extension work. The project will seek to demonstrate to farmers the direct link between quality at the farm level and increased value for their products.
The flavor lab will feature a sensory panel that will be trained in objective flavor evaluation, an important tool for commercialization and research based on flavor characteristics. Farmers will be able to taste chocolate from their own beans and learn how product quality depends on good fermentation and drying methods.
WCF president Bill Guyton said that the partnership will build upon Ghana's strong cocoa culture, by improving flavor and value, and will be able to reinvest increased quality back into cocoa communities.
The project will work with approximately 7,000 farmers throughout Ghana's cocoa producing region. This project contributes to the goals WCF's African Cocoa Initiative, a $14m, 5-year partnership between WCF, cocoa industry members, the Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH), and the US Government's Feed the Future initiative.
The World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) is an international membership foundation that promotes a sustainable cocoa economy by providing cocoa farmers with the tools they need to grow more and better cocoa, market it successfully, and make greater profits.
