Established a productive partnership with Strongim Business to facilitate comprehensive training programs for cocoa farmers from 2019 to 2022. These highly valuable trainings encompassed essential topics such as farm management, fermentation techniques, sun-drying methods, basic recordkeeping, and innovative value-adding approaches, empowering farmers to integrate cocoa into their daily meals.

Maintained a consistent and reliable purchasing schedule, ensuring a stable income for farmers by engaging in regular cocoa procurement visits on a fortnightly basis. By allowing adequate time between each purchase, we encouraged sustainable cocoa farming practices, allowing cocoa pods to ripen to optimal size and preventing the harvesting of under-sized pods.

Facilitated access to international markets and buyers for farmers seeking entry into the boutique cocoa market. Through our extensive network, we assisted farmers in connecting with potential buyers abroad. Our role included purchasing dried beans from farmers and showcasing them as samples to interested buyers overseas. Notable success stories include partnerships with:

• Amazing Grace Farm, selling cocoa beans to Firetree (UK) and the Cacao Ambassador (New Zealand)
• Robert Waisu, selling to Firetree (UK) and Cacao Latitudes (Europe)
• HCL, selling to South Pacific Chocolate (Australia)
• Lucy from Makira, selling to Cacao Latitudes (Europe)

Demonstrated a commitment to facilitating market access for cocoa farmers by implementing a personalized approach. Overcoming the transportation challenges faced by most farmers who lack access to suitable means of transport and costly hiring options, our team ventured directly into their communities and homes to procure cocoa beans directly from them.

Received acknowledgement for excellence in our field, Cathliro proudly secured 3rd place in SolChoc 2017, a prestigious competition. As a testament to our dedication to quality, we were awarded a prize of $5000 worth of materials. In a spirit of gratitude and recognition, the prize was generously bestowed upon the farmer (David Nutte) from whom we sourced the beans. Cathliro, responsible for the meticulous fermentation and sun-drying of the beans that entered the competition, sought to honor the farmer’s contribution to our success.