Organic Cocoa Production and Export Cooperative

Cocoa production in São Tomé and Príncipe has historically played a major role in the country's economy.{{cite web |title=Sao Tome and Principe – Agricultural Sectors and Agribuiness |url=https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/sao-tome-and-principe-agricultural-sectors-and-agribuiness |publisher=International Trade Administration |language=en |date=11 August 2022 |ref={{harvid|International Trade Administration|2022}}}} However, by the turn of the 21st century, production had declined due to a lack of investment and environmental degradation.{{cite journal |last=Wikle |first=Thomas A. |title=Chocolate and the Ugly Secret of Cacao Production on São Tomé Island |journal=Focus on Geography |location=New York |date=2021 |volume=64 |pages=1–18 |doi=10.21690/foge/2021.64.2f |doi-broken-date=1 November 2024 |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/2562738496 |id={{ProQuest|2562738496}} |language=en}}{{rp|4}}

Kaoka, a luxury chocolate manufacturer based in France, began buying cocoa from São Tomé and Príncipe in 2001.{{cite web |title=Sao Tomé: The Chocolate Island |url=https://uk.kaoka.fr/nos-filieres-cacao/sao-tome/ |website=Kaoka English Version |publisher=Kaoka |access-date=30 September 2024}} Kaoka encouraged local producers to form a cooperative to better coordinate their operations, and CECAB was consequently established on 20 July 2004.{{cite AV media | date=20 July 2024 | title=CECAB celebra 20 anos reconhecida como exemplo de cooperativismo e liderança | trans-title=CECAB celebrates 20 years of recognition as an example of cooperativism and leadership | medium=YouTube | language=pt | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5yWhimqTKQ | location=São Tomé and Príncipe | publisher=Rádio Somos Todos Primos}}

CECAB produces organic, fair trade cocoa and sells it to Kaoka.{{cite web |title=Produções |trans-title=Productions |url=https://www.cecab.st/productions/ |website=CECAB-STP |publisher=Organic Cocoa Production and Export Cooperative |access-date=30 September 2024}} From 2014 to 2016, CECAB worked with Kaoka, the International Fund for Agricultural Development and the Global Environment Facility on a program to renovate cocoa plantations in São Tomé. The goal was to create alternative incomes to hunting, coal production, and illegal deforestation in Obô Natural Park. The partner organisations of CECAB praised the program's outcomes.

Cocoa theft from plantations has negatively affected the quantity and quality of CECAB's cocoa exports. CECAB President Aureliano Pires stated in May 2018 that the cooperative's losses from cocoa theft had reached 40 per cent of total production.{{cite news |last=Carlos |first=Maximino |title=São Tomé e Príncipe : Economia do cacau prejudicada |trans-title=São Tomé and Príncipe: Cocoa Economy Damaged |url=https://www.rfi.fr/pt/sao-tome-e-principe/20180523-sao-tome-e-principe-roubo-de-cacau-prejudica-economia |access-date=30 September 2024 |work=Radio France Internationale |date=23 May 2018 |language=pt}}

On 20 July 2022, CECAB opened a chocolate factory in the town of Guadalupe, in Lobata District, {{convert|12|km|mi}} north of the capital São Tomé. It was the third chocolate factory built in the country and the largest built by CECAB.{{cite news |last1=Sebastião |first1=Sita |title=São Tomé inaugura terceira fábrica de chocolate e vai apostar na exportação |trans-title=São Tomé opens third chocolate factory and will focus on exports |url=https://www.forbesafricalusofona.com/sao-tome-inaugura-terceira-fabrica-de-chocolate-e-vai-apostar-na-exportacao/ |access-date=30 September 2024 |work=Forbes África Lusófona |date=21 July 2022 |language=pt-PT}} Construction had begun two years earlier, with then São Toméan Prime Minister Jorge Bom Jesus laying down the first stone on 25 June 2020.{{cite news |title=Primeiro-Ministro lançou a primeira pedra para construção da fábrica de chocolate de CECAB na localidade de Canavial |trans-title=Prime Minister laid the first stone for the construction of the CECAB chocolate factory in Canavial |url=https://www.priasa.org/newsletter/78-primeiro-ministro-lancou-a-primeira-pedra-para-construcao-da-fabrica-de-chocolate-de-cecab-na-localidade-de-canavial.html |access-date=30 September 2024 |work=Priasa |date=22 August 2020}} The factory cost over 464,000 euros, split between CECAB (124,000 euros) and the African Development Bank (340,000 euros).{{cite news |title=São Tomé: New organic chocolate factory to put profits into local community |url=https://www.macaubusiness.com/sao-tome-new-organic-chocolate-factory-to-put-profits-into-local-community/ |access-date=30 September 2024 |work=Macau Business |date=21 July 2022}} Jorge Bom Jesus spoke at the inauguration ceremony, stating that his country was taking a "transformative path" towards "economic independence" by transitioning to the export of finished goods in addition to raw materials. He also commented: "We will export cocoa, we will export high quality chocolate{{snd}}organic chocolate{{snd}}and in return we will start to import{{nbsp}}... technologies [and] equipment so that we may continue to improve the excellence of our services". Francisco Ramos, the country's then Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development, also attended the ceremony. In 2023, the factory was projected to have an annual output of 10 tonnes of chocolate.

In 2023, CECAB's membership consisted of around 3,000 farmers from 42 smallholders' associations.{{cite web |title=Actividades e Realizações |trans-title=Activities and Achievements |url=https://www.cecab.st/blogs/ |website=CECAB-STP |publisher=Organic Cocoa Production and Export Cooperative |access-date=30 September 2024}}

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Category:2004 establishments in São Tomé and Príncipe

Category:Cooperatives in São Tomé and Príncipe

Category:Food and drink companies established in 2004

Category:Food and drink companies of São Tomé and Príncipe

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