Divine Chocolate is co-owned by the democratically-run Kuapa Kokoo farmers’ cooperative in Ghana.
That means the fair-trade income and shared profits from sales of Divine chocolate bars in the UK benefit not only the 45,000 farmers but their entire communities, paying for schools, health clinics and clean water in villages across Ghana.
It's an amazing success story which demonstrates the power of trade to alleviate poverty. And it really couldn’t have happened without Christian Aid’s supporters.
Chocs away
When Divine's first chocolate bar was launched, people said it was a great idea... that could never work.
What they hadn't counted on was the tenacity of Christian Aid supporters who put their pester power to great use, and inundated Sainsbury's branches with Stock the Choc postcards.
By Christmas, all 350 branches of Sainsbury's were selling Divine, making it the first Fairtrade chocolate bar to be available nationwide in the UK.
Fairtrade profits
Ten years on, Kuapa Kokoo, is a large, thriving, democratically-run organisation. Its members are feeling the positive impact of the Fairtrade income for their cocoa – and the empowerment and pride, and additional income, from the share they have in their own chocolate company.
Schools have been built or refurbished, and teachers have been employed.
Sanitation has been improved, mobile clinics set up, and clean water wells dug.
Women have been empowered to represent their communities and generate their own income in between cocoa harvests.
Children are spending less time fetching water and more time in school and learning about the world they are part of.
