Art & Cacao Project: Sophie Holt
Art & Cacao Project: Limited edition cacao infused art, printed on our 500g boxes. Every edition, we ask a different designer to create an illustration,
The Ghana Project
From Observation to Action: the Journey in Ghana
Last month -feb/march 2026- I visited Ghana with just a backpack and a head full of ideas and visions. All of them including cacao and a better future for everyone in the cacao chain. These were not spontanious ideas, but they have been lingering with me for over a decade. Now it was finally time to get them in to action. Read all about it below.
Why Ghana?
Ghana is one of many countries where cacao did not originate, but was introduced by European colonists. This means there is no centuries-old culture surrounding the product like you see in the Central and South Americas.
The country is the second-largest cacao producer in the world, yet chocolate is barely woven into the local food culture. Everything is focused on export. Almost nobody makes or consumes chocolate. Not even the people who work with cacao daily on their family farms.
I certainly have no interest in getting involved in the (politically shameful) aspects of the cacao export in these regions… You all know about it by now.. farmers are hugely underpaid and they are not allowed to sell their beans to anyone else but the government. Even worse; not one farmer in the entire country has been paid for their cacao since last year November. It is so, so sad. And a very difficult power-play to change. But could we perhaps support a “silent revolution” here in another way than through politics?
And that is where my interest begins: is there a way to add more value to cacao from within?
Is there a way we can contribute to creating more value for these local producers? Could they integrate cacao more into their own food culture? Would they be interested in making chocolate themselves, for example? And with that, changing the value of the crop to a more personal one, a nutritious one?
The Journey Begins: Listening, Not Telling
Because I don’t know what life is like there, this trip was truly intended to orient myself and my ideas. I wanted to understand how life really works there, what the true challenges and opportunities are, and what chocolate means (or doesn’t mean) for the communities that grow the beans.
I planned to talk with farmers, explore markets, and learn firsthand about the local food traditions. Instead of arriving with grand visions, I was simply excited to listen, observe, and understand—from the people who live this story every day.
I did bring a brand-new small grinder, as I already had some contacts there who asked me to give workshops to interested parties. The first connections were born!
I was so excited.
What I Found: An Overwhelming 'Yes'
And then came the answer—louder and clearer than I had dared to hope.
In a short time, I provided three hands-on training sessions to different farming communities, reaching over 200 people. For each of these farmers, it was the first time they learned what they could do with their own beans: how to make nutritious and delicious dishes and drinks for their families, instead of just letting the beans disappear for export.
The reactions were heartwarming. After the sessions, I was called by several people who had heard about the training, asking if I would come to their region as well. And the calls keep on coming, as I have heard from my newest local partner Nelson and his entreprise Shahamana Farm and Chocolate.
That was the moment I realized: this is bigger than a workshop. This is a movement waiting to start.
Why This Matters
For ten years, a stark contradiction in the cacao industry has bothered me:
In the countries where cacao is grown, but not originally from, there is barely any local value creation. Almost no chocolate is made there, nor any other form of cacao processing.
The farmers themselves do not consume their own product. They grow the beans, ferment them, dry them, and ship them to distant markets. But they rarely experience the richness, the flavor, or the nutritional value of what they have cultivated with such care.
For me, this is a major loss of value. It is not just an economic gap; it is a cultural loss.
This is about more than chocolate. It is about bringing value back to the source.
When farmers understand the full potential of their crop—when they can give their children cacao-based porridge, make drinks, or even start small local businesses—then they win:
- Economic Agency: new income streams and less dependence on volatile export markets.
- Food Security: access to a high-quality, locally grown “superfood.”
- Cultural Pride: a deeper connection to the crop they grow themselves.
This is how we begin to shift the power dynamics in the cacao industry. Not through charity, but through knowledge, skills, and local ownership.
What’s Next? From Experiment to Pilot
Because of the huge enthousiam and excitement from the cacao farming communities, those three workshops were just the beginning. Now I am working on the next step: securing funding for a serious pilot to start with.
I envision setting up a full four-week training cycle in January 2026. With local and Dutch trainers, respecting local knowledge, and ensuring fair compensation for everyone involved. In the way I see it, we could already reach approximately 450 farmers—directly. And through them, their families, neighbors, and networks.
This is not about quick fixes. It is about growing, measuring, learning, and scaling responsibly based on what truly works.
From here on we can monitor, adapt and continue these trainings to more and more regions. Remember, Ghana has over a million cacao farmers. And it is not the only country with this story of a lack of value around cacao.
The Vision
I truly believe we can make such an incredible impact on so many lives if we do this right! The people are ready, the knowledge is there. We just need to spark the engine for it to start running.
I am ready to put my time, money and energy in this vision. And also to engage with potential partners and investors who believe in this mission. People who understand that real change does not come from the top down, but from within—from the communities themselves.
I dream of a future in which:
- Cacao farmers consume and celebrate their own harvest.
- Local value creation around cacao becomes part of the culture.
- Communities develop small-scale cacao businesses for the local market, becoming more independent from the whims of the international market.
- The global cacao industry changes step by step, from the ground up.
This is not a quick fix. But it is a necessary shift—a way to give the people who make so much of our chocolate possible a voice of their own. A clear place in the chain.
Can you imagine, you who enjoys a cup of cacao so much, that there are millions of cacao farmers who work on the land every day but never eat a bite of their chocolate? Never make a cacao drink for their children from their own beans?
That has to change.
Conclusion
This trip to Ghana has shown me that the question is not: “Do they want this?”
The question is: “How fast can we start?”
And that is what I am getting to work on now.
Do you think you have any interesting connections to support this vision? I would love to hear from you! This could easily become a major project :).
Let’s get together and help make a positive change possible!
Big love,
Malou
More Blogs
How to Store Ceremonial Cacao (and Does It Go Off?)
How to store ceremonial cacao so it keeps its flavour: why not the fridge, what the white bloom really is, how long it lasts and when it is past it.
How to Facilitate a Cacao Ceremony for a Group
Leading a cacao ceremony for others? The honest guide to certification, the maths for 10 cups, the safety talk, a 90-minute run of show and holding the room.
Cacao and Meditation: How to Use Cacao to Sit, Breathe and Focus
Cacao meditation, honestly explained: the right dose (smaller than you think), when to drink it, three practices to try, and what cacao will not do.