Kuapa Kokoo Limited

About Kuapa Kokoo Kuapa Kokoo was formed in 1993 after the structural adjustment programme (SAPs) of Ghana led to the partial liberalization of the internal trading of cocoa. Led by Nana Frimpong Abebrese and with support from NGOs like TWIN, SNV, Christian Aid; Kuapa Kokoo Limited was established to participate in the internal trading of cocoa. Kuapa Kokoo Cooperative Cocoa Farmers and Marketing Union Limited (KKFU) formerly known as Kuapa Kokoo Farmers Union is Ghana’s pioneer and the leading producer of ethical cocoa beans. KKFU is a cocoa farmers’ co-operative organization registered under the Co-operative Societies decree of 1968 (NLCD 252) and Co-operative Societies Regulations, 1968 (L.I. 604) as a co-operative Union in Ghana. The Union has over 100,000 registered members who are primarily smallholder cocoa farmers organized into about 1,300 communities in 57 primary Societies (District) in six cocoa growing regions. Established in 1993 with 2000 farmers in response to the partial liberalization of the cocoa sector in Ghana. Kuapa Kokoo literally means ‘good cocoa farming’ in Twi. It is the only farmer-owned cocoa organisation among 24 privately owned buying companies that has been granted government licenses to participate in the internal trading of cocoa. In this marketing role, the Union mobilises cocoa from members and which is then purchased by its trading wing Kuapa Kokoo Limited (KKL). The vision of the members was to have a direct role in the purchasing and the marketing of their produce. KKFU gained Fairtrade certification in 1995, to supply ethically produced cocoa beans to the certified market. This made Kuapa Kokoo the first Fairtrade-Certified smallholder farmers’ organization in West Africa. Additionally, the organisation has gained both UTZ and Rainforest Alliance certification status enabling it to sell certified cocoa beans under these two schemes.