Ghana Grows Our Cocoa, So Why Can’t It Make Chocolate? | Big Business
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- čas přidán 19. 03. 2022
- In 2021, Ghana grew 1 million tons of cocoa. But it exported most of that to Europe and North America, where it was turned into chocolate. And the big bucks are in chocolate. Trapped in a trade relationship with Europe and struggling to process chocolate itself, Ghana sees little of the industry's profits. So as chocolate companies rake in billions, cocoa farmers struggle to make a living income. We went to Ghana to see the impact on farmers and learn how local entrepreneurs are trying to keep chocolate dollars inside their country.
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Ghana Grows Our Cocoa, So Why Can’t It Make Chocolate? | Big Business
I live in indonesia, the 3rd largest cocoa grower. My sister used to work at bakery and they mostly use imported chocolates from netherlands or belgium for the dressing. When she asked her boss why not use local chocolates, his answer is because our country can't produce high quality chocolate. And that's the problem with developing countries like us, we're rich in natural resources but cannot process them properly into high quality products. So we export them to rich countries and import the refined products. That's a negative net
Just a handful of countries produce almost all the cocoa in the world. It’s an oligopoly situation. Just raise prices. They have to pay what you charge. They got no where else to go.
I'm from neighbouring Malaysia. Thanks for sharing, this is actually pretty interesting to know.
This is true. I'm from Philippines and has a growing cacao industry. Maybe ASEAN assert more effort to increase progress in making high quality cocoa products.
they export them to those countries, which turns them into high quality, and then they import them back to your country as high quality. So high quality in your country is supposedly not possible even though the “exported low quality” is then imported back to the native grown country as “imported high quality”. Fantastic! 😂🤣🤔🤔🤔
They should raise the prices and at the same time build factory needed to process them.
Good to see progress is being made for the Ghanaian farmers.
buy from them not just empty words
Farmers are not the same as industrialists having a local buyers doesnt mean they will get more money for the cocoa. Its progress for the country though.
@@JP-br4mx those "empty words" may persuade someone else to buy them
@@JP-br4mx It's literally just a comment.
@1:31 so she just gna stab the other ones to cut 1 . Ok
As a Ghanaian I’m happy to see this and I hope it won’t just end here but this will go a long way to help in the production of cocoa in Ghana and Africa at large 🇬🇭
I'm still in shock that you guys import milk and sugar instead of producing your own.
3rd world country moment
You being white are not even African.
Looking for cocoa producers in Ghana. I want to import to Europe. Do you have any friends producing cocoa?
@@ukaszBielinskiTrenerBiznesu No, you will never get African cocoa to import to europe, africa has sold enuf of it's wealth to the likes of you.
My mother grew up making chocolate in El Salvador. They were so poor they were called the chocolateros in her neighborhood. They'd go to a farm, pick the beans, and would make chocolate at home to sell at the market. Once I grew up and found out that Cacao was native to the Americas and was cultivated by the Mayans and Aztecs, I wondered why then, aren't we known for the best chocolate in the world. How did the Belgiums and Swiss become the chocolate experts when they dont even grow it.
With any product its a long way from making it in your basement to have it on shelves in every supermarket. Companies alredy hols the market, have great products, name recognition, supermarket partners, established factories and supply lines, workers. Its not impossible but it is very difficult.
Slavery, it's quite simple.
They would have ended up making the BEST chocolate in the world if they were not "colonized" and turned into to slaves.
And mind you, being paid that little 100% is still slavery.
@@kristijangrgic9841 Yeah.....thats not my point. Seems like it went right over your head 🤨
something called colonies
@@blakepollock8074 well some former colonies are doing much better than others. Look at Korea or Taiwan. And then take a look at Argentina. Argentina was much wealthier 100 years ago.
I would be really happy to buy Ghanaian chocolate. Really glad that these countries are finally trying to get their share of the pie. I hope people will support them.
What do you mean their share? You're implying somehow other countries have unfairly taken their share from them. This is definitely not the case with chocolate
you are right, the world should not invest in ungrateful ghanians who only accuse others of greed, colonization, and theft
They get their share. It's just rightfully smaller.
@@randybobandy9828 They did, Britain, France, and Germany, Switzerland, etc. colonised Africa, totally fucked up the geopolitical lines all over, and now with poverty and civil war rampant all over, having ravaged the land for profit, and having companies like Nestle straight up siphoning water illegally from already impoverished areas and then selling it to them bottled, whilst also polluting rivers in the surrounding areas with factories. Also reliance on slave labor, child labor, etc. and no companies do not buy the cocoa at a reasonable rate for the amount of profit they make off the deal.
I feel like they should just slap a giant premium on their product...... It would definitely be paid.
This is simply how first stage raw products are valued. My family does commercial cow/calf cattle. Being the first stage, we hardly see the profit from the ridiculous cost of beef today in the USA. Calf sale prices on my end have stayed stagnant. The slaughter houses receive 90% of the profit from the life of the cow.
It is super interesting to see the same issues in a different industry. Producers hold the most amount of risk, while the final stages make the most amount of money.
slaugther houses are an oligopoly
As usual the middleman is the one taking all the prophets
@@thespicemelange.1 As he originally stated, the producer is the one that has the most Capital invested and the one who takes the most risk gets the highest pay off.
@@deuscoromat742 yeah but without the raw materials they wouldn't have anything to bargain with everything's a risk
The difference here is these folks are living in poverty while being the lifeblood of a $100+ billion industry
Sending the cocoa you grow to another country to make chocolate products, then having to reimport the chocolate for consumption is absurd. I'm glad Ghana is taking control of their resources. It's good for their country and it's good for the chocolate industry to have new competitors.
They're not competitors though.. they're completely not understanding that them selling raw cocoa is probably dumb, but they don't want to claim just the price increase from raw to processed chocolate instead they want the price increase from raw cocoa to a chocolate bar and they'll never get that because the companies they're comparing too aren't selling chocolate to poor African people but instead the world's richest countries.. as they kept reading off reasons why it's hard to make chocolate in Ghana I just started chuckling because... Duh that's why Hersey doesn't make chocolate in Ghana already 😂
Making chocolate, especially one of a high quality is hard. It requires expensive highly specialized machinery, and takes days to do. I know this full and well having visited a chocolate factory recently. On top of that you need to be able to market your product.
@@michaelf.2449 Plus, cocoa is just one of the ingredients used to make chocolate candies.
I'm happy for them. It's high time these "resource exporter" countries got a chance to develop their industrial expertise -- instead of being exploited by surplus manufacturing nations.
Of course, wealthy countries don't want people to invest in industry in cash-crop, poorer countries -- that would be competition.
@@stevenalexander4721 Chocolate "candies" need to be phased out. We've got kids so addicted to sugar and corn syrup, companies like Hershey's feel like they need to make their chocolate ridiculously sweet. Dark chocolate has a great flavor profile, and is good for you as well.
I quit buying Reeses, Milky Way, 3 Musketeers and Hershey bars, and instead spend $3-$6 on a good quality dark chocolate bar. Just a square after dinner is all you need.
I like how everyone is really participating from farmers, manufacturers, to the government. They also see how improving this industry can contribute to their country like building roads, electricity and schools. Wow im just amazed on the connections; even small thing can really make a big impact.
Ultimately it will not succeed, I very much doubt that if Ghana has been independent for nearly 60 years, they could somehow turn around their corruption and lack of infrastructure through a chocolate industry, of which they have no money to build such. Unless you want crude contaminated chocolate that will be spoilt by the time it arrives to you. It makes no sense whatsoever to produce chocolate in Ghana, otherwise, they'd have already done it and big companies would have invested in localizing the production instead of paying the price of buying it overseas to import to their own factories. Ghana does not have the electrical infrastructure, safety, workforce, to maintain such a system. This whole piece is pure fantasy.
@@yesyes-om1poyou can't predict future buddy 😂
@@joelosei6255 "1 year ago"
Current progress in Ghana, nil.
I think I did predict the future, but it wasn't that big of a prediction, anyone with a brain could see it.
Developing countries have to increase trade among themselves.
structural adjustment essentially prevents them from any such arrangements
You know, I noticed that everyone have an opinion on what those countries should or shouldn't do :) I have this opinion as well, however, I'm not educated enough about Ghana politics to try and make suggestions. That might be not that simple.
This is true. Developing countries need to build relationship with each other.
What do you mean developing countries? These people are being robbed, by other underdeveloped countries, who got rich
@@rainfall7972 can’t you see what happened
From India...great to see ghanas progress...eager to see "made in Ghana" chocolates in Indian marker...rather India will help Ghana for milk and sugar....India is largest milk and second largest sugar producer after Brazil...in India sugar factories are underpaid since we won't able to find new customer...this is benificial for both countries..
Hell yea. To heck with european chocolates
This is a great idea
@@Bhatakti_Hawas chocolate is chocolate who cares where it made ...unless it tastes good
We want high quality Made in India chocolates...screw Europeans
Absolutely
I was watching Joseph harvest cocoa and I was struck by how eco friendly it is. The beans are covered with plantain leaves not plastic, and they use very little electricity.
It needs to be covered but still breath for fermentation. Bananas/plantains are usually grown in the same farms, so it's available in large quantities for essentially nothing, while plastic is expensive for somebody making just a few dollars.
It's the price of the plastic per se. It's the adherence to the traditional way of fermentation to get the particular flavor tones rather. Besides, you don't want so much PFAS and other forever chemicals for your clients, do you?
Respect to the Ghanaian farmers. I am always happy to see agriculture in operation.
Proud of our Ghanaian brothers. Let's make Africa stronger together. Love from Nigeria 🇳🇬
Cocoa is just a colonial legacy which is holding the country back. Chocolate manufactures are using far cheaper substitutes made in the lab. Consumers want cheap chocolate, not "real" chocolate.
If you are in Nigeria can you assist me to buy coca from Nigeria
@@a.alphbond9003 I don't
@@a.alphbond9003 try to sell cheap chocolate to Switzerland, they will never buy it, cheap an Fake is an American thing
@@a.alphbond9003 try sell cheap or fake chocolate anywhere other than the US and you will fail… It’s like trying to sell fake gems or minerals and passing them off as genuine to a jeweler…
As a Ghanian living in America, I really appreciate this detailed, and informative video to spread awareness on hard working West african Farmers
Stop the digital black face. You're not from Ghana
@@Tu51ndBl4d3 I'm literally ghanaian what are you on about?
@@Tu51ndBl4d3 This isn't the type of comment that would be made under the guise of digital blackface. There is no political motivation behind it, no excusing of racists, nothing of the sort. It seems like you've just learned this term and are eager to use it, no matter how inappropriate its application is... or you're a troll trying to stir up tension in the comment section. It's weird behaviour regardless, bruv.
The video is still western propaganda.
You should invest in your people and resources... From Bangladesh
I'm a cocoa farmer in Ghana and I'm not poor. Most farmer don't want to learn how to improve produce. There are lots of programs that are designed to help farmers.
I’m from India.
How i contact u…?
I need cocoa bean….!
well thank you for this info glad to hear this one. farmer's deserve to be paid enough for their hard working. watching from Philippines
Very cool you're replying! Is this video accurate?
@@arununniunni1885 I sell to the government. I can't export it even if I wanted to
As a Ghanaian, I believe this will go a long way to help the country
That is good to hear. Do Ghanese people eat locally produced chocolate, or is it mainly for export?
Go Ghana chocolate makers!!!! I am sure you guys will figure it out. It always warms my heart to see people with courage to say enough of those billionaires raking up our money on depend of millions of people basic living. Don't we all want our coco farmers to have a decent living and a little money to travel and see the world?
figure it out and take profits away from mega corporations ? - do you want Ghana to be invaded by the West to bring Freedom and Democracy there ?
@@johnsmith-cw3wo 😆Well... Ghana is an independent democracy... But no I don't want the 'west' to bring freedom and democracy. I just dream of a world that is more equal diverse and thriving. But you look like a troll with your fake name and bad rhetoric so have a good day sir.
yes we also need to buy from them
@@johnsmith-cw3wo classic
@@schizophrenicghost sarcasm
If Ghana makes chocolates, I would love to buy from the Ghanaian companies! It will be good to see the country grow and flourish with it's own produce! As an Indian, I wish Ghana the best from the bottom of my heart! ♥️🙏🇮🇳
-Made in India- Made in Ghana ♥️🙏🇮🇳
@@ameyas7726what was that?! I would prefer Ghanaian companies over Mars, Ferrero Rocher, Hershey's, Toblerone etc etc. Where does India come in here? India would and will always be my first preference as my motherland! Stop making a fool of yourself! 🙄😏
I recommend Goldentree's chocolates
@@ilovedogs8700 thanks. Is it a Ghanaian company?
@@Suha_Chakravorty Yes
I am so happy to hear about this. About a year ago, i saw a video about cocoa farmers, most of them didn't know what chocolate was! And the earnings were far lower compared to what those big chocolates brands earn. And the worst part was that they had never even tested chocolate before. That was horredous!
well, even more sadly about an other year later, it looks like the ghanaian cacao industry is close to collapsing :(
I'm from Canada, and while I knew it was bad, I never knew it was quite THIS bad. it's good they're deciding to try and stand up for themselves and take control of the cocoa they grow.
the ghanaian cacau industry is collapsing sadly.
looks like corruption got them.
People from Ghana are the kindest welcoming people i have ever met
Hard work makes you kind.
🇬🇭🇬🇭🇬🇭
The way the farmer thinks is really admirable, not selfish.
Good luck, sir.
Wish you all the best.
In case, i see an African made choc somewhere, I'll surely grab 1 or maybe some to support the farmers.🙂
❤
Nestle is the worts
There's a reason why Africans don't make chocolate; they can't. The only appealing thing about African chocolate is the price, nothing else.
@@OHOE1 you all had a choice, you all chose nestle. consumers decide everything, especially in this type of business.
For example, do you want some real chocolate made with real cocoa butter? It's going to cost 10x your normal bar (try making it yourself and see). I've made it a couple times, it tastes delicious, it's something else... but.... i can't spend 20 euros for every 400g of cocoa butter (and that's only the butter). So like all of you, i often just buy a cheap option, even if i know it's low quality and with almost no cocoa butter (just like any chocolate on the shelf today).
All options are out there, then it's simply about what customers choose. It's a different story if you are not allowed to choose, or if corruption makes it impossible for new businesses to enter the market.
You say nestle is the worst, and so do many others. So why do you continue buying their cheap products? You know they bought nutella, then don't buy it anymore if you don't like how they operate. I don't like how macdonalds sources its meat, i don't feel good after i eat it, overall i don't feel it's something i should have (even if tastes great). So I've never touched a macdonald or similar in over 15 years. You don't agree with nestle, stop buying it, very simple.
You know what's the really the worst? Our hypocrisy. We literally have on the shelves the products we chose, and we still blame industries for it. I don't really care about the conditions of workers i don't know, to be honest. And to be honest, neither does you or anyone else. Because otherwise the math doesn't add up.... how are you so appaled by these industries, yet you keep buying from them?
Please watch Jim Nduruchi
I think in the long run, they're going to succeed in both exporting precursor products and selling chocolate itself. The important thing is to unite and price these products accurately, I can imagine big western (northern) companies having an interest in keeping raw material cost low...
I think those Hershey's and nestle fuckers are going to mess this up as soon as Gana chocolate become a real threat. Capitalism in it's developed form is brutal.
@@keslyajennifer And consumers like us will be on the receiving end. We could get lower quality chocolate, or more expensive chocolate, or probably both. And as you can imagine, not every European country is rich. There are poor people everywhere, especially in Eastern and Central Europe. Buying top brand chocolate is already expensive, it could only get worse. So many people are choosing the cheaper substitute brands, for example Nutella is too expensive so they buy a knock-off. Snickers, KitKat, Kinder Bueno etc. they became luxury items for many people. I think there needs to be balance for everyone, so Ghana can earn more without us consumers paying more. The big chocolate factories should lower their standards a bit because they're multi-billionaires.
@@keslyajennifer Won’t be surprised to hear of hired military or the assassination of the current leader, to be replaced with one that’d bend over to Europe
I wish Ghanians as well as other raw material producing counties success in arranging their own local high-quality production chains! You can do it! 💪
Much love from Ukraine! 🇺🇦❤️
Hi hugs to all 1Presudent Nana needns form alliance Ivory Coast Indonesia in The Booban and these experts demand 1 no monoculture destroys crop 2 use natural fermentation on banana leaves best nutrients 3 let these farmers use natural known methods example hand picking 4these countries build processing plants in a strategically place close to there markets europe,usofa,hire only those that have history of growing and love their country and this marvelous crop it has amazing health properties..my opinion only texas activist grew up cacao knowledge from Mexico Tasco farmers..great people Africans we all depend from their after all brothers namaste
As a Ghanaian in America, I'm so inspired by these change makers. My grandfather is cocoa farmer so this issue is very close to my heart. I can't wait to go home and help make changes in my own way.
Not much change is coming. China will soon take over as the world's number one cocoa producer.
Move to ghana and make change happen
what chages? making roads close to the trees? make some machine for crak opening choko? make some openable bags ?
@@nikalasnalter4431 yes.
@@nikalasnalter4431 maybe invest in the startup chocolate/cocoa processing companies or invest in dairy farms to supply local milk to the factories
So happy to see this happening in Ghana in my life time. My father was a cocoa farmer in Africa and I was part of it during growing-up years. Ghana can get sugar and milk within the continent.
But they can't get reliable electricity period.
@@JB-yb4wn ok
They literally says in the documentary that milk is a problem for their own manufacturers. Lol
They should get It from India!
@@JB-yb4wn they will and they will get the cheapest power on earth.
Ghana is close to the equator where solar cells work at their optimum. (that's why Europe needs more nuclear power our energy will be too expensive)
Once the investors find out about this potential there will be no stop.
I think I've tasted Ghanian chocolate in Ukraine, in a sweetshop chain named Lviv Handmade Chocolate. It was delicious!
I would most definitely support this!!! Please keep up the effort 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
I remember seeing the Swiss minister face when the Ghanaian president declared Ghana's intention to process the cocoa beans in Ghana rather than export it to Swiss: extremely unhappy. I have worked in remote areas of Ghana (Bolgatanga) and know first hand the poverty of the areas where the cocoa beans are cultivated. This is the way to go. There are other resources that Ghana has to manage better i.e. shea butter and especially by stopping the illegal exploration of gold mines from Chinese gold poachers and exotic woods poachers.
That president will be removed from power in a coup …
it seems difficult to produce the finished product with a decent profit margin since they have to import milk from Europe/US, that's probably pretty expensive part of the supply chain. And the heat, need serious refrigeration throughout the entire transport. Though producing the intermediate products like cocoa powder and butter is probably a good start.
They can simply manufacture fine dark chocolate rather than milk chocolate.
@@tongpoo8985 Africa has everything, we don't need to import shit from Europe, that's the reason the Colonizers divided the continent so they can continue to exploit our resources instead of using what we have
the guy is a puppett he was just talking, you know these people they always go to meet their masters begging for money
Niche's chocolate processing facility looks fantastic. I am a little bit surprised but very happy to see state-of-the-art labs and factories like this built and owned by Ghanaians. This looks like something in a fully developed country. The facility looks very clean and I would trust the safety of products made here. The Ghana government is doing a great job helping this industry become established. I'm looking forward to seeing real Ghana-made chocolate available in stores in the USA, like how we import European chocolate.
The best thing the government can do is STOP exporting raw cocoa and make those companies produce in Ghana or Ivory coast. If they don't have raw materials, they will move those companies to where raw materials are. It will be painful for a year or so but the long run benefits will be substantial.
@@Wakereu Sorry but I disagree with that. I think the best thing Ghana’s government can do is what they are doing: investing in startup local chocolate manufacturing while continuing to allow exports to foreign chocolate manufacturers.
I don’t think there is a need to be heavy-handed to try to force foreign companies to do anything. They can keep friendly relationships with foreigners while supporting their own local startups. Friendly trade is mutually beneficial and not disrupting longstanding trade relations ensure that the cocoa farmers continue to have a stable income.
In the long run, more cacao processors should mean more competition for cacao, and that should mean higher wages for cacao farmers.
Once the local manufacturing is big enough in Ghana, if there is a shortage of cacao without enough for both local usage and exports, Ghana can even add more tariffs to raw exports or give subsidies to their own chocolate manufacturing if they want to create a larger competitive advantage for their chocolate-makers. Ideally, Ghana could increase cocoa farming to meet increased demand from local combined with foreign buyers though, and it would mean more money to farmers and more thriving farms in Ghana.
We should always look for an option that lets us have as many allies as possible and mutually benefit each other. Forcing a company to uproot and move creates animosity and hurts relations. It also would cost a lot to move all their equipment, and would hurt the employees at European processors, who would lose their jobs if the companies move. If Ghana is too harsh in their trade policies, Europeans would react negatively too, and could even add high import taxes to block Ghana made chocolate. Making enemies hurts everyone.
@@Wakereu What about the farmers who already live under the poverty line? Those companies can survive until they find new exporters. Farmers simply can't.
@@gst.frenkel my friend, change is painful and for it to make reasonable impact, you have to pull the plug. Those farmers have survived on menial pay for their produce for a long time. Trust me if they pull the plug, those companies will come to the table with a better price.
@@Wakereu or those companies will just invest most money in markets like Ivory Coast or Indonesia and increase their production there to offset the loss of the Ghanaian cocoa - they have alot more options than Ghana. Extreme reactions lead to extreme impacts - whether good or not.
I'm European citizen and I'm really happy Ghana stood up and said, enough is enough
Who was the biggest culprit ?
Let me guess, USA
@@AcidiFy574 Blaming the US for all your problems is a cop out. Did you watch the video? The culprits were Spain/Portugal initially, then other EU countries. They placed the system that's still rampant now.
Yes, US is now a part of this with Hersheys, but it goes way back.
@@KENTOSI US is the main contributor period
They're a consumer nation/economy
@@AcidiFy574 Yes and everyone else is innocent.
And no other country has a consumer economy.
Right.
@@KENTOSI No not really, at least others produce their own stuff & are willing to regulate for ethical reasons
US is mostly consumer-based & I never said US is the only culprit
Ghana actually makes several chocolate already
The issue is penetration of these products into the global market
It's kinda difficult for Niche, Goldentree and the likes to penetrate when Mars and Nestlé run a big chunk of the market
I think that's an area we should focus on.
Fairafrica ships to much of Europe. But they still seem to focus on a niche market.
I really hope I live to see some of these African countries get out of poverty and thrive, especially as someone of African ancestry myself, man it would be so satisfying
If you mind me asking where in Africa ?
We should take advantage of the AfCFTA. Ghana doesn't have a robust dairy industry but Rwanda's is shaping up pretty well. As individual countries, we may lack the resources necessary but as a continent, we have all these things and that is where the largest free trade area comes into play and does its magic.
Africa will become a real power house when they get the trade going properly for sure and new industies will start up like chocolate factorys, car factorys and such.
Rwanda to Ghana is more than 3000 kilometers... You would have to use powdered milk and then transport it through the DRC; a notoriously unstable region.
@@Sedna063 for chocolate u use powdred milk anyway otherwise the chocolate will be too soft in the end and it will go bad because of the fresh milk even the Industry in europe and us only uses milk powder for chocolate
@@P4hko that is wishful thinking my naive little African brother
@@whitehawk7128 I'm not African. Yes there is a bit to much corruption in some parts also. But just this trade deal does so much
I'm glad to see that things are improving for the farmers. I hope they will all be above the minimum wage line soon, they deserve it!
These farmers deserve to live like kings.
As gulf petrol sheiks
Why
Excellent documentary... I wish you had talked also about other barriers like the trade tariffs on exported chocolate, the absence of farmer voices in cocoa/chocolate policy, and the continued failure of most company measures to address poverty. I'll use this video in my undergrad geography class I'm teaching in the North West US.
This called colonialism mentality..western has been plundering asia and African resources for centuries and sent all them back to their own countries on the sake of these poor people efforts and blood...pls include this in your education too.
Farmer voices? Their voice is their prices. If they want to fight back they need to organize
@@peterbarrett5496 You fail to realize the true nature of poverty and those with power. These people have no support, no unemployment check, no food stamps. Such a decision is equivalent to risking their livelihood which is no different from risking their lives. Many could die of starvation if Hershey's decides, in a display of power, not to purchase their produce. They are too poor to build the infrastructure to do it themselves whilst Hershey's on the other hand has the power, security and bargaining potential to pivot and recover from any loses. These people cannot afford to suffer a loss. This is the nature of man and those with the money over the poor, and Hershey's is fully aware of this.
@@peterbarrett5496 it's not as easy as that bud. I come from a farmer's family. Their voices aren't heard at all, no matter what they do. Just false promises are made, and they are robbed of their hardwork
Why would the farmers have a voice in "chocolate policy"? Lol
I wish "Fairafric" & other locally-produced chocolate bars of similar quality would be available in Asia soon. Would totally buy these over the corporate versions.
do they even grow cacao in Asia to an extent where it can be locally sourced and produced?
@@shellshock10 yes, countries such as the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia produce a lot of cacao. However, production still needs to be ramped up.
@@OurLordandSaviorSigmar If that is the case, then what needs to be ramped up is the production of the chocolate bars.
Asian production is so miniscule.
@@shellshock10 yes. There are people doing this in Singapore (FOSSA chocolate) in Vietnam (Marou chocolate) and in Taiwan (Fu Wan Chocolate) to name a few. Award winning high quality craft chocolate.
For those who don't know, Ghana has been producing chocolates for over 3 decades as far as i know. The name here is Golden Tree, but i don't know the export version. For some reason, the factory hasn't grown any big. This new chocolate factory in the video will increase the quantity of chocolates produced in the country.
Penetrating the Western market is not easy with our finished products. The big companies in the west are putting more monies in to marketing, something which our local companies don't have. So our chocolate industry will remain small.
Marketing is difficult to beat. Everyone in Europe knows Belgian chocolate... yet a coworker of mine from (a Brit working in Belgium) swears by Polish Wedel chocolate.
Beating long standing reputation is very difficult and one source of big problems - people don't buy chocolate from unknown company which results in company being unknown.
@golden tree...I want the golden tree now
You guys must come to India. We are a large market.
No need to penetrate western market. African market and Indian market are large enough...
@@davidl1162They've also developed a taste for swiss chocolate and the likes
God will bless your company! I’m impressed to see this happen in Africa. Let’s build ourselves and patronised our people.
I have a friend who ran an import/export company in Ghana perhaps ten years ago. IIRC, Ghana made excellent chocolate bars in those years, but they couldn't be imported into the USA because there were no FDA inspectors there. I think the big issue was the milk they used. Anyway, if you wanted to import the chocolates to the USA, you had to pay for the inspectors, and that would cost more money than any small company could hope to make from selling the product. In the meantime, the big companies, Hershey and Nestle in those years, made all the money. (Or, at least, that was the story as I understood it!)
you will only get a FDA approval if you pay there fee. FDA is the biggest b****** organisation existing on the food market
Colonialism will never end
Reality isn't so simplistic. The obstacle to importing chocolate from Ghana to the USA in those years wasn't "colonialism" (or the intellectualized baggage that infers.) The restriction was a substitute for a protectionist tariff couched as a consumer health and safety protection. ("Free trade" is both an international legal constraint and a religious tenet, so resort to hypocritical subterfuge is required.) We've seen similar obstacles to importing, for instance, French cheese or Italian cured meats to the USA, or, for that matter, to exporting genetically modified crops from the USA to other countries. Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Poland, Scotland, Slovenia, and Wales have all had restrictions on the import of American GM grains. Do you believe Slovenia is "colonizing" the USA? (It was the mildest of stimulus that elicited your knee-jerk response. Are you Pavlov's dog? Shake off your chains....)
@@ronhorowitz9904 well said, but no man everything isd MUH COLONIALISM.
@@ronhorowitz9904 As it is. I don't see any developing country in the world getting better, nor will my sons. I won't touch on any past forces that may have interrupted the growth of a country. I firmly believe corporations that work with imports from developing countries greatly appreciate the developing aspect of said country. The governments most of the time can be "bought" by a singular company or more. This is why there is so much corruption in Africa, it's a combination of greed from the leaders and astute business decisions that stunt growth of a developing country. After that, seeking better working conditions, payment and the like are completely dependent on mobilisation. Able minded people all around the world from developing countries, instead of staying and creating a successful business that can impact positively their own country will attempt to make a living in a country already holding economic superiority.
There are more aspects to this than greed and economic expectations of infinite and scaling profit but, I think it is important to note that while there may be more to the eye, there are undeniable facts that still take a toll on the grand majority of the world.
We have to find ways to be self-reliant. Creating jobs within the continent and employing our people. We have all the raw materials, let us learn to keep the money at home.
In South Africa as well. We are opening up medical research labs instead of sending our best scientists abroad. They are now also producing certain medications in the country instead.
We have a potential billion dollar raw earth mineral industry but we send all of it overseas.
The problem is massive corruption within your economic and political systems unfortunately
@@blackice214 yeah well the past 2 years has seen an insane highlight and clamp down on corruption which has awarded us the opportunity to achieve as much as we have in the last year in relation to Inter-African trade.
Africa is finally coming together to help one another. It's just going to take a very long time due to resources and extreme gaps in economies
@@thesnackattack2676 Hopefully that continues, it seems when an African nation finally starts to get things together another “revolution” happens. Although Ghanna is extremely poor I’m excited to see what Rwanda has in store those guys got it right thanks to the long term president.
@@blackice214 yeah Rwanda is such a great example of where we can go as united nations...maybe even further to create an "EU-like structure"
Superb decision and very appreciated. Grow up our African brothers.
I'm so glad to see this documentary. I'm very proud of my Ghanaian people 🙌🇬🇭
As an Aztec descended I’m happy to know cocoa growing countries are fighting to get a bigger share
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
As an Ghanaian, I agree
I remember eating the white beans inside the cocoa when I went to Ghana on an exchange program, very very delicious, if u ever have the chance or access to cocoa beans, pls try it!
Oh really idk why i expected it to taste sour
@@allysonpeck taste sweet and a little sour (if ripe)...
@@whyareyoucrying1920 thats so interesting i really believed it was bitter
@@allysonpeck the seed is slightly bitter.
@@allysonpeck it is considered a fruit so you can eat the white soft coat of the seed
Proud of Ghanaian cocoa farmers, Ghana to the world ❤
Hopefully more people will be made aware and put pressure on the big producers! I was raised with their product, which now tastes like wax to me. Too sweet and watered down by the dairy. I am grateful for access to the raw cacao powder, which I mix into homemade chocolate goodness that is full of health. Where the highly processed & sugary, milk chocolates are not very good for health. I believe there's a way for all the farmers to thrive. May their plans be realized!
Unfortunately, I think the heat issue is likely the most difficult to overcome if they want to have a competitive price. One possible solution is to compete indirectly with a different type of chocolate. I'm thinking of the sweetened condensed milk industry - which is how tropical countries can avoid the refrigeration needs in the dairy industry (shelf stable in tin or cardboard packaging). I wonder if they can do something similar with chocolate. The final point about increasing domestic demand is certainly another avenue as the price will be much more competitive than imported (by the way, this is how Vietnam, a small producer in cocoa, is doing it). Anyway, I hope they succeed. I love chocolate and I want to see more of it!
I suspect bigger problem is acess to milk. Interestingly countries that are major producers of chocolate used to (and probably still are ) big producers of milk.Not to mention they have closeby european providers.Cows may be hard to herd in more tropical climates with all the parasites, diseases and temperature itself. Not to mention getting milk industry would be really hard in africa with lactose intolerance among africans.But most importantly they conviniently ignore that African chocolate producers would also want to buy cocoa beans as cheap as possible,just becouse it would be produced in Africa does not change small farmers situation al lthat much,but it shifts distribution burden on African companies.
@@pod11th31 Do you know if Ghana has any highland (cooler) areas? In Vietnam, the daisy industry has been able to grow exponentially with over 300k cows now thanks to large local players. Many of these are in the mountainous areas where the European cow breeds can live better.
885 m on Mount Afadjato is apperently highest point in Ghana.- That is just info from internet.
No it’s their government that’s the problem
In Australia we have genetically engineered Chocolate that struggles to melt on decently warm days lmao
As a belgian, I can say this looks like very good chocolate. There are no air bubbles or crystallizations visible, colour and consistency is very uniform, which indicates high quality conches and long processing. I cannot speak as to the flavour, but this chocolate looks obviously superior to most chocolate beings sold today.
Looks can't beat taste though
Are you comparing to homemade? Isn't all the things you listed an basic standard? "Superior to most chocolate being sold today" wow Belgians must be getting low quality chocolate if you don't have uniform color and consistency, filled with crystallization, lmao, should just import heresies if you want to have all the thing you listed.
What kind of chocolate are you eating lol sounds scary
@@stefthorman8548 Herschey's can't even make a flat surface because their product is so oily and gloopy. Also it tastes like vomit.
@enis Lurch Cheap Swiss chocolate like Lindts has all the same problems I listed. It's not bad, but this looks better.
Yes! Im all for a Ghana that serves its people better and sells its resources at their real value
Fortunately I planted 10 seedlings of cacao from seeds last year in the Philippines. I will process my own chocolate called tablea for my family's consumption.
That Ivory coast and Ghana took action together is a beautiful sight to see.
also pretty stupid that they didn't do this sooner. Capitalism rules.
Côte d'Ivoire
!!!!!!
Africans cant even discover the wheel, yet u expect them to produce chocolate?
@@hulahula6182 blah blah blah
@@hulahula6182 this is one of the dumbest comments of all time
They don’t like to hear it but Ghana will succeed. Little by little, we will industrialize, whether by govt initiatives or the private sector. Ghana will Rise again
Stop using words and try doing something, my friend.
I think a lot of people love hearing it though.
who is they?
Keep going Ghana persevere and I hope one day we will all be buying High quality chocolate direct from Ghana.
Keep up the good work people of Ghana! Improved self reliance will help the nations continued growth
sadly their cacao industry is close to collapsing :(
@@weedling3552no more CHOCLATE?
I hope this movement gains traction
There are too many farmers who work their entire lives earning chump change only for other people to exploit their work and turn a ridiculous profit from it.
Exploit their work how, How much do you ant them to buy raw materials for?
Do the farmers not agree on said prices?
@@mauriceschaeffer5070 They don't or else America decides to "give them freedom"
@@internetguy7319 Internet Guy, why are you for America stopping payments to Ghanian farmers? Shame on you!
Definition of “He who pays the piper calls the tune”
Oh my country Ghana 🇬🇭. 😭😭😭
yes exactly! very good questions!
I think they should! I think all countries who product the raw material of something, should also consider making the end product! that would shift the current global economic structure in all kinds of ways. I feel it would eventually shake out more evenly and fairly distributed among the global community.
no milk in ghana, no problem! :) switzerland can surely help. :)
Good effort. I whish them luck. The issue is that most of the value in the final product is in the brand and the distribution network. That won't be easy to break.
I'm a Ghanaian ,since I was a child I have been eating chocolates made in Ghana by the cocoa processing company est in the late 80s,they are the largest producers of chocolate and cocoa products in Ghana they are popularly known as Golden tree.
Same here! My father actually used to head the chocolate factory in Tema. The chocolate was quality then. Everything in it was organic. With the coming for the IMF economic regimes, these outfits were sold to the private sector who downgraded the quality.
Remember the chocolate in USA is mixed with sugar.... sunflower oil or canola oil....Granaians in general are not eating 100% chocolate on a daily basis even on a weekly basis why you think the Aztecs mixed it with milk?
@@jeffrey7737 they didn't. it was considered medicine at first. the sugar only came in when it started to get made into hot cocoa with the incoming spanish colonists. that was where chocolate was born. to be clear, vegetable oil is not allowed to be put in chocolate sold in the american market.
@@red2theelectricboogaloo961 chocolate was born when the Spanish came when the word chocolate comes from a native word?🤣🤣🤣🤣 Vegetable oil is canola oil its a marketing trick
Good to see these countries taking charge of their products
Precious video.
Just returned from Ghana two weeks ago. Niche chocolate and also Fairafric chocolates are👌🏽👌🏽. It’s good to see that the government as well puts effort to change the situation.
Countries should absolutely treasure and protect what they do well. It may be a loosing battle to make heat sensitive products in Ghana but perhaps there is a NEW product or Method that can take advantage of the hot weather. Make this your asset! I pray for your success and independence!
They add paraffin wax to chocolate to make it so it don't melt in your hands. I would rather have the pure thing thank you.
The intermediate products are a good stepping stone.
Losing not loosing ...🙄
"It may be a loosing battle to make heat sensitive products in Ghana"
losing*
also, do you actually think it never goes above 86 F in the USA?
Yes Ghana should make their own finished products
for what? and they can but its harder that in europe
@@nikalasnalter4431 for what ? Value addition for the product on their end means more profits for Ghanian industry.
Found this documentary very interesting and educational.
NZer here. I really want to see Ghana's chocolate industry prosper!
It's long overdue that the big chocolate companies like Nestle do much more to help out the people in Ghana who grow the cocoa.
Great vdo. It _seems_ like things are on the right track for Ivory coast & Ghana to producing the chocolate themselves, even tho there are many hurdles, while getting farmers a livable wage from these billionaire companies. I hope it works out for us all
sadly this has been an issue for hundreds of years starting with slavery and most recently with the Harkin- Engel protocol in the US. Where large makers agreed to address issues in order to prevent regulation and then proceeded to do literally nothing but spend billions to avoid having to comply with the protocol they signed. They are not on the right track, they are blowing smoke and mirrors. People in the global north have to be willing to pay more for their chocolate which is a big hurdle. And regulations are definitely needed.
@@openingchocolate well that's why I put _seems_ in italics... there's always much more goings on that cant be squeezed into these very short vdos...
@@openingchocolate People will never pay more for a luxury that was once cheap..has never happened in the history of man kind
@@erikad0511 Take profits away from mega corporations ? - do you want Ghana to be invaded by the West to bring Freedom and Democracy there ?
@@johnsmith-cw3wo take profits away? Yes, tho itll probably never happen. do I want Ghana to be invaded by the west? No?
I’m so excited to see and hear this! I can’t wait to see the chocolate and cocoa products in the stores and supermarkets in the Netherlands. It makes me so happy to see local businesses doing well and I hope your lands can heal from the exhaustion. I’m not an expert but here the Netherlands in Wageningen University they are specialised in agriculture I hope there may be fruitful relations that may help sustainably grow anything Ghana sets its mind to.
Very informative
I'd buy my chocolate with a much better feeling inside if I knew that some of my money actually went to the cocoa farmers instead of the big companies. But us normal people can't really make a change. We stop buying from them and they simply turn elsewhere where people are dumb enough to buy it.
Ghana can't and won't produce chocolate, for many many reasons. They could produce crude chocolate for the locals maybe, but they have no means of logistics or refrigeration so it'd spoil quickly. This is nothing new btw, crop farmers have always been on the lowest end of the economy, because it is for the most part, an unskilled job that anybody could do, and obviously the value is placated on the end product. Meaning if the raw product were to cost more, the end product would cost significantly more. This is simply a result of business, producers produce the product, The companies provide the logistics, be it transportation, production, or all of the above.
@@yesyes-om1po you mean it's the product of rich people doing everything they can to stay that way while sucking the blood of the poor. right?
I would love to have chocolates from Ghana itself. Love and Support from India!
Look for markets outside Europe and N. America. Such as Asia in particular China. Develop branding - like coffee and wine do, related to country of origin, terrain, cocoa type.
Develop intermediate cocoa concentrate product that can be turned into chocolate by adding milk and sugar.
I think you did understand the problem with cocoa.
Latin America when through this in the 90’s.
I will just put this example.
I love Italian ice cream made in Italy with Italian milk. That’s over 18.00 dollars in NY.
The same Italian style Ice cream made in New York cost 4.99.
Why such big difference? Well the one from Italy needs refrigerated transportation from Italy to the local shop that’s very expensive.
The other is just a 2 hours trip from upstate NY to NYC.
I raised this value addition proposition during a UN project to “commercialise” the Ghana CSIR in the 1990’s. At the time it would impact the trade deficit of Ghana positively in les that 3 years.
I was told to stop the investigation by the then government. The next day was a “poor” article on the front page of the local newspaper on “Why it is good to export the raw product. Glad this is changing…
Well first, you'd have to fix Ghana as a country, then maybe you could sell chocolate.
Very informative video!
This video alone has definitely changed my outlook and I will adjust my chocolate buying accordingly. Good job!
This is amazing. I am so glad things are changing. I hope it keeps getting better, and I can try the new flavors they come up with.
Made in ghana chocolate are very expensive but those made from Europe to Africa and ghana as a whole is less expensive. This makes a lot of Ghanaians to buy those from Europe. This is so sad a Ghanaian to see this. We are not even earning alot from cocoa 😢😢😢😢😢😢
you must support local if you want to kiss goodbye to poverty
Ghanians say we are stealing your cocoa, but how is so? We are buying your cocoa, it's you who can't make chocolate properly.
Be humble first !!!
@@Solid_Snake88 who is we? if we is europe you are buying cocoa at those pitiful prices? better we make our own chocolate cos for decades it never benefitted the locals to sell to you
@@rue2003 If it didn't benefit you why are you selling it to us? It's free market, it's fair, stop accusing europeans. It's annoying and infuriating. Try selling to china see what prices they offer..
@@Solid_Snake88 they now can make their own chocolate so why sell to you? fair? free trade? ignoring child labor just so they can enrich themselves at the expense of the farmers? How is it fair when the farmer and his family live on less than $2 a day but the chocolate industry is a 100 billion dollar industry? If those companies have no ethical standing then yes, no need to sell to you, we produce our own chocolate just like Germany produces cars. Whoever wants chocolate can buy from Ghana if not find another market. Germany makes cars but nobody is complaining about their price, why should we accept a pittance? Slavery days are gone and your neo-imperialistic mindset is what is infuriating. If Europe doesn't want to buy Ghanaian chocolates, there are other markets, let´s see Asia, the Middle East, and another 1 billion in Africa, so we won´t stop to exist because Europe stopped buying African cocoa, I'm sure the President was very clear.
Being someone from the southern Ghana and seeing this video im really happy.
But i would like to bring to ur knowledge that it is so true that many cocoa farmers like my family do not get even the basic capital we spend on farming the cocoa. I hope the world will come to Ghana and make big industries and help thr poor people
Great to hear! Good luck to farmers and Ghanaians! 👏
More power to the Ghanaians! I hope you can start your own dairy and sugar industries right there in Ghana. Much love from India.
forget dairy, they can make vegan chocolate.
@@melanininafrica3019 The market would be so small it would not be sustainable. Vegan products only really have impact in the west, and it's a) still very niche and b) often quite expensive as a result (and because it's a bit of a fad at the moment).
I think Ghana government should make a company Ghana chocoo to release the chocolate all over the world
Make in Ghana
Make in local
Export global
@@joshuaosei5628 its not a fad. This is one of the must take actions for addressing climate change especially in the west. Also people are becoming aware of how factory farms are operated and don't want to support that. And vegan chocolate is, I'm guessing, healthier than regular without the milk. I'm vegan, full disclosure.
@@naveennandigum8630 I don't deny that veganism might be necessary to reduce climate change, but be honest, it is hard to deny that a lot of people are trying to be vegan for the social status attached to it, i.e. because it's quirky, etc. That's what I'm talking about. I also don't know if vegan chocolate would be healthier. A measure of health in terms of chocolate could either be sugars or fats which in this age can both be altered by the manufacturer.
i was recently on holiday in ghana and i bought niche cocoa from the airport and gave it to my friends in the uk and they all loved it
Great information. Growing is the most difficult part of Coco production. Others can be done if you have the will.
Thanks and to this channel for the information and to the people of Africa for the work they do. Imagine how the life would be without chocolate.
Malaysian also gained independence since 1957 and also a cocoa grower. Hope Ghanian can see their potential, at least to become a middle income country.
I'm very happy to see this 💕
I HOPE Ghana can make way more money from the product they produce. They're essential to the industry and deserve every bit of it.
Hope to see these products widely available internationally for purchase soon and for Ghana to capture more of the economic value of chocolate.... Hershey tastes terrible anyways so would be more than happy for an alternative
To be fair, creating the end product is a lot more resource-intensive than it is to create the raw material. However, it's not an excuse to rip off your suppliers.
It's not a rip-off if the individual farmers choose to make a sale that overwhelmingly benefits the owner of the farm comparative to his labor. What is a rip-off is government-mandated price-fixing.
@@deuscoromat742 Found Nestle's corporate sheep
@@jackblack704 Found someone who doesn't understand economics.
Cacao supply has an inelastic supply source, but increasing demand. Simple economics here suggests that all the power lies with Ghana/Cote d'Ivoire, not the manufacturers. It's not a rip-off, it's merely meeting a new equilibrium.
@@Fishmans Rip-off is subjective and Binding price controls always create a new equilibrium.
Thats happens with every country and product: Cocoa, Coffee, GRapes, Bananas or any other grain and fruits. Countries produce it, export and then import the final product for 10x the price.
How else are white westerners going to afford their mansions?
You can practically guarantee that all the big multi-national chocolate producers will be working very hard in the background to undermine, stymie and sabotage Ghana and other African nations efforts to process their own cocoa beans domestically. These companies will want to ensure that Ghana remains dependant on them and protect their massive profits.
Very interesting video, hopefully the industry becomes fairer over time!
I feel that exporting dry beans to countries with access to fresh milk sounds safer than importing milk to site of cocoa tree
We use milk powder in chocolate production and it's in abundance in East and southern africa
Unsweetened dark chocolate could be a viable product made without having to import milk and sugar.
Great to see such content about Ghana
I love this,,,,we should promote our local industries
Shout to Ghana. I'm fully behind their power movement to benefit from their own products.
Great to see this information as I don't notice a lot from Africa.
I'm sure all the countries have a lot of difficult problems with each other but hopefully they can work together to help each other prosper.
Am happy to hear the new improvement in the cocoa farming industry. Ghana will rise again.
I hope all their dreams come true.