Liberia peace chocolate: From beans to bars to a better future – Text & photos

For Komassa Kennah and other members of a women-led cocoa cooperative in northern Liberia, the launch of their brand of high-quality chocolate bars offers hope of new economic opportunities for their community as Africa’s oldest republic heals from civil war and builds on the promise of peace.

The Wologizi Chocolate project, named for a nearby mountain range, is part of efforts by Peace Dividend Initiative (PDI) and the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD) to support Liberia’s reconciliation and progress by empowering women entrepreneurs in rural areas.

Technical expertise for the initiative in Bolahun town comes from the Liberia Cocoa Corporation, an agribusiness with a socially conscious business model of livelihood development and training of smallholder cocoa farmers.

“The training helped me to learn how to work better with other women in our group,” Kennah said. “Besides working on our cocoa farms, we are helping each other more in the community.” 

The official launch of the Wologizi Chocolate brand, at a ceremony in the capital Monrovia on April 24, highlights how the livelihood project has the potential to boost the skills, capacity and revenues of the Komassa Vornambeh cooperative with the value-added production of finished bars.

The 70% dark chocolate is made from the beans of high-quality Forastero and Trinitario cocoa pods harvested at the foot of the mountains near Liberia’s borders with Sierra Leone and Guinea.

The cooperative – managed by 50 women and eight men – is committed to sustainable and organic farming.

“I did not have any idea that cocoa could be changed to chocolate,” said Sonnie Kortee. “But the training and the followup work we have been doing helped me to understand that cocoa can be used to produce chocolate and other things.”

The next phase will explore ways to distribute the bars to local and international markets through the joint venture with the Liberia Cocoa Corporation. The project also supports sales of raw cocoa beans.

“Ultimately, Wologizi Chocolate shows how people in fragile settings can harness market forces to deliver real opportunities for cooperation and development,” said Liam Foran, Chief Executive Officer of PDI.

“This promising project inspires our work across Liberia to help create sustainable and ethical businesses that foster co-existence, reconciliation and peace.”

Liberia erupted into two civil wars between 1989 and 2003 that killed at least 250,000 people and displaced many more.

The country has made major strides since a peace agreement two decades ago but tensions persist over unresolved issues fuelled by social and economic disparities.

“In a country with vast natural resources, livelihood projects like Wologizi Chocolate are vital to bringing more equitable development across Liberia and its very young population,” said Babatunde Afolabi, HD’s Director for Anglophone Africa.

“That in turn builds on the reconciliation process, the well-run elections last year and the overwhelming desire of Liberians to embrace a future of opportunity, prosperity and sustainable peace.”

The efforts to nurture women entrepreneurs in rural areas are supported by the UN Peacebuilding Fund, the UN Development Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization and three Liberian civil society organisations.

The Wologizi project follows another partnership between HD and PDI around chocolate – the Jungle of Peace beans-to-bar initiative with former FARC fighters in Colombia.