The History of Divine Chocolate

In the beginning…

In the early 1990s the farmer’s co-op Kuapa Kokoo was set up by leading farmers in Ghana so they could sell their own cocoa to the Cocoa Marketing Company (CMC) which was the single exporter of Ghana Cocoa. This enabled the farmers to manage the selling process much more efficiently that the government selling agents while ensuring farmers received a fair price for their cocoa.

Fast forward to 1997, the cocoa farmers voted at their AGM to invest in their very own chocolate bar to compete with other major UK brands. To do this they set up The Day Chocolate Company in 1998 with the help of Twin Trading and supported by the Body Shop, Christian Aid and Comic Relief. The name came from Richard Day, a member of the Twin Trading team who had helped Kuapa Kokoo develop its organisation.

Divine Chocolate

The first Fairtrade chocolate bar was introduced in October 1998 and had hit supermarket shelves by December.

Because the farmers have an ownership stake in the Day Chocolate Company, Kuapa Kokoo have meaningful input in the running of the company which means they are never exploited. As shareholders they also receive a share of the profits from the sale of Divine chocolate.

Now

In 2006, The Body Shop donated its shares in the company to Kuapa Kokoo, giving the farmers co-operative an even bigger stake in Divine. Then in January 2007, Day Chocolate changed its name to Divine Chocolate Ltd, finally becoming the brand we know and love today!