Cocoa juice
This project aims to reduce three Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) risks in the cocoa value chain in Ghana:
- the current living income gap among cocoa growing households,
- gender inequality and
- the lack of decision-making and ownership upstream in the cocoa value chain.
The cocoa industry, farmer organizations and cocoa households will be challenged to re-think the potential business cases in the cocoa production chain by going beyond the commercial value of only cocoa beans, by looking at possibilities for the by-products (waste products).
The main feature of this project is extracting juice from cocoa pulp and transforming this in a nutritious and delicious drink, to be sold for export and for the internal market. The juice is collected, processed and sold by cocoa growing households. This innovative way of income diversification will help to close the income gap of cocoa households with at least 10%, exceeding current sustainability premiums in place. In the short term, between 12,000 to 18,000 cocoa households in Ghana can benefit from the project. In the next phase, the project will result in a scalable prototype of a commercially viable beverage.
The project takes a household approach, inviting households to participate, but the focus is on the participation of women. The project contributes to women's empowerment through targeting them as collectors, processors and marketers of the cocoa juice. This changes the status quo: instead of women being seen as 'helpers' on their husband's farm or in the household (doing unpaid work), women are provided with jobs. This will contribute to their economic empowerment and will generate positive impacts for the whole family and communities.
By introducing and developing the concept of 'share trade' with the involved households, they become more than just 'suppliers' of raw materials and take profit from the beverage itself. Moreover, the cocoa industry will be challenged to re-think the potential farmer business cases in the cocoa production chain by going beyond the commercial value of cocoa beans only.

Project number
NL-KVK-27378529-FVOF19014Total budget
€ 475,000Countries
GhanaProject status
ImplementationBudget spent
Programme
Fund for Responsible Business (FVO)Tied status
UntiedContact
iati@rvo.nlProject partners
Cocoa Merchants Limited, ETG Commodities B.V., Netherlands Enterprise Agency, Riga TV B.V., Solidaridad Network West Africa, Stichting Solidaridad EuropeSectors
Agro-industriesType | Provider | Provider ref. | Receiver | Receiver ref. | Value (€) | Date | Value date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Incoming Funds | 475,000.00 | 13-12-2019 | 13-12-2019 | ||||
Outgoing Commitment | ETG Commodities B.V. | 475,000.00 | 13-12-2019 | 13-12-2019 | |||
Disbursement | 133,544.00 | 16-12-2019 | 16-12-2019 | ||||
Disbursement | ETG Commodities B.V. | 58,792.00 | 15-12-2021 | 15-12-2021 | |||
Disbursement | ETG Commodities B.V. | 58,791.00 | 02-06-2022 | 02-06-2022 | |||
Disbursement | ETG Commodities B.V. | 58,791.00 | 02-12-2022 | 02-12-2022 | |||
Disbursement | ETG Commodities B.V. | 58,791.00 | 02-06-2023 | 02-06-2023 | |||
Disbursement | ETG Commodities B.V. | 58,791.00 | 04-12-2023 | 04-12-2023 |