The Brussels Development Briefing n. 58 on “Africa’s Agriculture Trade in a changing environment” organised by CTA, the European Commission/EuropeAid, the ACP Secretariat, IFPRI, Concord and BMZ/GIZ was held on Wednesday 23 October 2019 (9h00-13h00) at Hotel Sofitel Brussels Europe, Place Jourdan 1, 1040 Brussels. The briefing brought various perspectives and experiences around the new trends and opportunities in intra-Africa trade in the context of free trade agreements and regional integration. It also showed Africa trade within the broader global trade picture and with the EU as one of the main trade partners. Experts presented trends and prospects of regional trade in Africa in the light of new policy developments as well as Africa’s recent performance in different markets. It also featured successes and innovative models in regional trade across regions in Africa and lessons learned for upscaling and expanding regional trade.

1. CACAO: a hidden treasure, a buried wealth

2. CACAO: a hidden treasure, a buried wealth

3. CACAO: a hidden treasure and untapped wealth
Presented by Komi Agbokou,
CEO of ChocoTogo

4. Togo: a West African country
next to Ghana and Côte d‘Ivoire,
7 million inhabitants,
12,993 families produce coffee
and cacao over 22,171 hectares
6-000 - 12,000 tonnes of cacao
produced and exported per year
Cocoa: from bean to chocolate bar

5. lives from family farming
smallholder farmers on 500 -
1,000a
difficult access to funding
difficult access to very
expensive agricultural inputs
price of cacao is very low and
set by the buyer
CACAO: a hidden treasure and untapped wealth

6. A cooperative company created in 2014 by
young unemployed
University of Lome
graduates
Approved by the
Ministry of
Agriculture and the
Ministry of
Commerce
CACAO: a hidden treasure and untapped wealth

7. CACAO: a hidden treasure and untapped wealth
210 1000
2000
4000
8000
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
8000
9000
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Processed cocoa in kg
processed cocoa (kg)
5 years of experience in the
processing of cocoa

8. CACAO: a hidden treasure and untapped wealth
0
20000
40000
60000
80000
100000
120000
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Turnover processing ratio
processing (kg) Sales (per 100 choc. bars) revenue ($)
From 2014 to 2018

9. CACAO: a hidden treasure and untapped wealth
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
JOB CREATION
MEN WOMEN JOBS CREATED
From 2014 to 2018

10. CACAO: a hidden treasure and untapped wealth
Selection of a niche market
Transformation process of a selected
and certified organic variety
Direct purchasing from small
producer coopertives
Diversification of products placed on
the market
Participation in major international
chocolate fairs
Effective presence at all promotional
and marketing events
Focus on quality

11. CHALLENGES MET
• Paradigm shifts:
– Increased self-confidence of young generations
– Comsumption of local products
– Agriculture is a sector with a promising future
• Equity financing
• Production at a loss for 4 years
• Resilience in an already saturated market
CACAO: a hidden treasure and untapped wealth

12. OUR TARGETS BY 2022
CACAO: a hidden treasure and untapped wealth

13. Thank you
CACAO: a hidden treasure and untapped wealth
www.chocotogo.com
Email: chocotogo.bio@gmail.com
Facebook: chocotogo