Welcome
We're so glad you're here!
Here's a bit about us and what we envision for our collective cocoa future.
Making Chocolate
Where it's Grown
Cocoa grows in warm, tropical environments along the equator – in Central and South America, West Africa, and Southeast Asia. We’re confident that cocoa-farming communities are entitled to earn far beyond the one-third of a living wage that they earn today. - Psalm 128:2, Ecclesiastes 5:19
Cocoa Future Collaborative partners to build local economies and increase income earning potential from cocoa by up to 5x by making chocolate and many other wonderful cocoa-based products where they are grown; so that they can be enjoyed locally and around the world.
A Key Ingredient
Women
In many rural cultures around the world, men are in the field and women are in the kitchen. Exporting agricultural commodities often excludes women from the income equation.
We believe the roles of men and women are equal, and yet can be expressed differently. By making food products locally, intelligent and hardworking women are readily welcomed back to business as equals, and even leaders, with their male counterparts. - Galatians 3:26-29
As development experts have long recognized: putting money into women's hands changes communities and future generations.
A Collaborative Environment for
Local Pioneers
"One-size-fits-all" solutions sound nice in theory but rarely work in practice. Especially when pioneering in complex cultural, environmental, and national contexts. Indigenous leaders, not outsiders, are the experts on community priorities.
We believe God has created and gifted each person, and thus community, uniquely. We come alongside them with respect and the peer-to-peer connections they need to achieve THEIR goals. - Ephesians 2:10; 1 Corinthians 12
Amplifying
Indigenous Voices
True change won't be realized if outsiders control the message. Let's seek out and LISTEN to the incredible wisdom and perspectives of both men and women in growing communities.
As much as possible, this site will function as a platform to feature their own words and stories - translating language and clarifying context when necessary.
Jointly Redefining
Fairness
Existing "fairness" schemes pay a small premium on
impossibly low farmgate prices, keeping grower-communities and producing nations economically impoverished.
Without God's infinite wisdom, this is an impossible task. But, with His guidance, we aim to define more direct and truly
equitable partnerships that create the opportunity for ALL stakeholders to build lasting, generational wealth. - James 5:4; Deuteronomy 24:14-15; Luke 6:31