"Comfort chairs Kuapa Kokoo’s Farmer’s Trust, ensuring that growing cocoa is profitable for farmers."
Fifteen years ago cocoa farmers in Ghana had little control over the sale of the beans they farmed to make chocolate. The Ghanaian government bought all their produce and dictated the price it was sold for. This unfair system meant that farmers weren't able to earn enough money to lift themselves and their families out of poverty.
Cue the Kuapa Kokoo Cooperative, a co-operative set up by a group of farmers to get a fair price for their cocoa. And cue Comfort Kumeah, a small scale cocoa farmer who is now the most senior woman in the co-operative.
Comfort chairs Kuapa Kokoo’s Farmer’s Trust, ensuring that growing cocoa is profitable for farmers. She also makes sure money from their crops is invested back into their communities, to do things like build schools and clean water wells.
Today Kuapa Kokoo supplies cocoa to some of the biggest chocolate companies in the world, and Comfort has helped transform the lives of thousands of farmers and their families. She’s a shining example for women all over the world – showing what’s possible with a little fair trade and a whole lot of determination.
Provided by The Department of International Development
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