Collect Cacao
Farmers deliver fresh/"wet" beans to a central collection point.
THE HANDS BEHIND EVERY BAR
The Co-Op
Some of the world's most celebrated cacao exists because communities chose to work together.
90% of cacao farms are small—averaging between 1-5 hectares. Alone, a farmer may not have access to fermentation infrastructure, quality labs, export markets, or specialty buyers.
Together, communities can build something much bigger than any one farm.
WHAT DOES A CACAO COOPERATIVE ACTUALLY DO?
Ferment
Trained teams guide fermentation to develop flavor and consistency.
Dry
Beans are dried carefully to protect quality and prevent mold.
Sort
Defective beans are removed so buyers receive a cleaner, more consistent lot.
Export
The cooperative prepares, stores, and ships cacao for specialty buyers.
Train
Farmers learn practices that improve tree health, yield, and quality.
Co-ops tend to return value to the community. While some farmers ferment and dry their own cacao, others sell fresh ("wet") beans to cooperatives that centralize post-harvesting processing. Better cacao can create jobs, stronger demand, and more local opportunity.
Co-ops participating in FairTrade give a marginal boost to farmers at best and at worst can lead to corruption. Our carefully selected sourcing partners typically stay away from FairTrade co-ops.
Why co-ops exist
A cooperative can be very appealing.
Too much for one farm alone
One farmer
- Drying equipment
- Export logistics
- Quality labs
- Access to buyers
A community
- Shared infrastructure
- Shared knowledge
- Shared reputation
- Shared opportunity
From many farms to one reputation
Before
100 farms
100 fermentation styles
100 drying techniques
100 quality standards
After
Shared standards
Shared knowledge
Shared infrastructure
Shared reputation
90%+
Smallholder farms
Cacao is grown by smallholder farmers averaging 1–5 hectares.
Jobs
Local opportunity
Co-ops often create jobs beyond farming:
- managers
- nursery workers
- warehouse staff
- technicians
- agronomists
- logistics teams
Quality
Better cacao
Better quality can create:
- stronger demand
- buyer interest
- new opportunities
