FAIR+

Stephen is President of the ABOCFA farmer cooperative in Suhum, Ghana. Certified Fairtrade and organic, ABOCFA supplies cocoa beans for Ghana Gold. In exchange, MIA pays ABOCFA 150% of the Fairtrade premium and supports members with 1 for Change projects.

POD CRACKING

Abigail, ABOCFA member & farmer coach, cracks pods to prepare the cocoa beans for fermentation, the first step in the curing process. Farmers in Ghana and Madagascar cure their own beans, allowing them to earn more from their crops.

FERMENTATION

Reaching temperatures of up to 50° C, fermentation develops the flavour precursors to chocolate.

DRYING

Dried under the tropical sun, cocoa beans are constantly turned to ensure they reach a uniform humidity content of 8%. Sun drying develops flavour, protects the beans in storage and facilitates the work of the cocoa roaster. 

GARDEN IN THE FOREST

Thanks to organic forests, farmers in Ghana and Madagascar can grow food crops amongst their cocoa trees, making their farms a “fridge” and a cash crop. Farmers also rely on the forest as a source of medicinal plants.

FINE FLAVOUR COCOA

Madagascar is blessed with a high percentage of Trinitario cocoa, known for pleasing red fruit notes. The flavour of Madagascan cocoa has earned 100% of the country’s crop the fine flavour classification from the International Cocoa Organization, which is awarded to the top 10% of production globally.

QUALITY CONTROL

When beans arrive at the factory, they are checked for proper drying, flavour and cleanliness. Xavier, Quality Control Manager at the factory in the highlands of Madagascar, inspects a sample of beans from the Sambirano Valley in the northwest.

SORTING

Cocoa beans are sorted individually to remove any foreign material and sort the beans by size. This ensures a uniform roasting process. About 75 cocoa beans make a chocolate bar.

ROASTING

Roasting is the first step of the chocolate making process and develops the flavours that will be become silky smooth chocolate.

GRINDING

Roasted cocoa beans are ground into a coarse powder before they are combined with other ingredients and refined into liquid chocolate.

CHOCOLATE

After more than ten different steps — from roasting and grinding to tempering and moulding — chocolate bars are formed. Historically controlled by massive companies in the Northern Hemisphere, MIA is living proof that communities in Africa can produce delicious chocolate that creates more prosperity in Africa.

CHOCOLATE MAKING

Based in Antananarivo, Madagascar, Shahin is the master chocolate maker who produces our Madagascan range with his dedicated team. Thanks to Shahin’s knowledge and his team’s skills, MIA Madagascar has won 5 Great Taste Awards. Read Shahin’s story here.

STORY TELLER

Meet Benjamin. He’s a talented young man studying French literature from his home country of Ghana. An enthusiastic storyteller, Benjamin also has a keen eye for social media. He supports MIA on the ground by sharing cocoa farmers’ stories and identifying how we can support community development projects.

CHANCE MEETING

MIA co-founder Brett (right) met Richard (left) on his first day in Ghana, a country he visited for the first time in 2022 to set up Ghana Gold. A former truck driver who turned to the taxi business to make ends meet, Richard proved extremely dependable through rain and shine, making the MIA introduction to Ghana all the sweeter.

COCOA FIELD TECHNICIAN

Elie lives in Ambanja, the town at the centre of the cocoa region in northwest Madagascar. Expert in cocoa curing, Elie supports MIA cocoa farmer partners to ensure their crops are as flavourful as possible.

MASTER ROASTER

Josia has been roasting cocoa for over a decade, and it’s in large part thanks to his hard work that MIA Madagascar has won a number of Great Taste Awards. See Josia’s story here.

DOC OF CHOC

Author of Cocoa and a thought leader in the industry, Kristy called Ghana home for four years, conducting cocoa farm fieldwork and getting to know the landscape like few other outsiders. Kristy brought her knowledge and passion to the development of Ghana Gold by connecting MIA with cocoa farmers, craft chocolate makers and more.

GETTING IT DONE

Africa is blessed with resourceful, talented and resilient people, and this is just what it takes to overcome some of the obstacles that come between cocoa beans and chocolate bars. This picture, taken on the road to the Upper Sambirano Valley in Madagascar, is symbolic of the many river crossings, breakdowns and unexpected surprises that we have experienced at MIA.

SCHOOL KITCHEN

When we learned that students at the Mahitsy school near the capital of Madagascar did not have anywhere to prepare their lunches, we partnered with UK charity Money for Madagascar to build a school kitchen. Providing a nutritious meal at school keeps the students healthy and helps them concentrate on their studies. See the story here.

ADULT LITERACY

The gift of literacy is crucial to fully participate in society and support a child’s education. This is why MIA supported an adult literacy programme for 20 parents of students at the Mahitsy primary school in the highlands of Madagascar.

ZERO HUNGER

MIA partnered with UK charity Move the World to support Zero Hunger courses that facilitators delivered to school children in Medie, Ghana. Students learned about food supply chains and nurtured plants to get them more engaged in their community and more knowledgeable about global food issues.

MIA GREEN

Each year, MIA offsets transport carbon by planting trees in the forest corridor in one of Madagascar’s national parks. In addition to carbon sequestration, the tree planting initiative extends lemur ecosystems and benefits local communities with fruit trees, school education programmes and incentives to protect their forests. Read more here.

FRUIT TREE SCHOLARSHIPS

Many students can’t attend secondary school because their parents can’t afford books and uniforms. MIA worked to change this by sponsoring fruit tree scholarships for primary school students. By the time the students reach secondary school, their families can sell part of the fruit to support school fees and use the rest to improve nutrition.

GIRLS EDUCATION FUND

MIA created the Girls Education Fund to help families keep their daughters in school and fulfill their potential.The Girls Education Fund is a perennial programme that supports high school and university students by paying school fees, providing a nutritious lunch and covering health care. Read more here.