Divine Chocolate at Cork Music School

Paul and Kojo with the Mayor of Cork and guests

Fairtrade activists, local retailers, Oxfam, Trocaire and the Mayor of Cork welcomed Divine Chocolate and Kuapa Kokoo to the Cork School of Music. Divine gave presentations to the audience followed by Peter Gaynor, Director of Fairtrade Ireland. They then enjoyed a variety of Irish music played by the school.

Divine Chocolate Meeting the President

Kojo and Paul presenting the President McAleese with traditional

Ghanaian Kente cloth and Divine Chocolates as Peter Gaynor from Fairtrade Mark Ireland looks on.

A trip to Áras an Uachtaráin (The Irish Presidential Palace) in Dublin, was a real treat for the Fairtrade farmers and their Divine Chocolate colleagues alike as they attended a reception hosted by the President of Ireland, Mary McAleese.

This celebration of Fairtrade within Ireland was attended by Kojo and Paul from Kuapa Kokoo as well as Fairtrade business representatives and local Fairtrade activists from throughout Ireland.

After welcoming the guests the President clearly laid out her own personal support of Fairtrade and commented that she was confident that Fairtrade would become increasingly available throughout Ireland, as the Irish people stand for econmic justice and in solidarity with those less fortunate than themselves.

Whilst meeting a country's leader is a new honour for most, Kojo later informed us that he also met both Tony Blair (Prime Minister of Britain), and John Kuffor (President of Ghana) when they visited Kuapa Kokoo, Ghana in 2002.

Divine Chocolate arrive in Wales

Kuapa Kokoo farmers Paul and Kojo with the mayor of Merthyr Tydif, Allan Jones

Divine Chocolate, Kuapa Kokoo farmers and Fairtrade Wales with Allan Jones, the mayor of Merthyr Tydfil and his wife

A warm welcome was waiting for Divine Chocolate and the cocoa farmers, Kojo and Paul in Merthyr Tydfil on St Davids Day. The sun was shining as everyone sat down for a delicious meal hosted by the mayor of Merthyr Tydif. The produce in the meal was grown locally by cooperatives of meat and vegetable farmers who attended the dinner and enjoyed talking to the cocoa farmers about the similar issues they both faced.

Then on to a St Davids Day Concert with guest performances from the opera singer Rebecca Evans and the Welsh Dowlais Choir. Everyone at the concert enjoyed meeting the farmers and sampling Divine Chocolate. The farmers were very impressed by the hospitality in Merthyr Tydfil and the fantastic music throughout the evenings event.

6 Mayors and a President

Now Fairtrade Fortnight is over, we look back at the Mayor's and the President Divine Chocolate and the Kuapa Kokoo farmer's met along the way!

Divine Chocolate and Kuapa farmers in the City

Kojo and Paul were out and about in London's financial district on Monday. In the morning, they spoke at a well attended Business Breakfast at Guildhall, the old 15th century seat of government for the City of London.

At the event there was also a speaker from the Fairtrade Foundation, and someone from BT, who spoke about how they implemented Fairtrade purchasing across the company. Kojo and Paul spoke about the benefits of Fairtrade to cocoa farmers in Ghana, and about how Divine's unique farmer-owned model meant that they themselves received a share of the profits from Divine's first dividend last year.

Off to nearby St Mary le Bow Church on Cheapside for a lunchtime debate, organised by Trading Visions and Justshare. The farmers spoke alongside speakers from Divine, Tropical Wholefoods and Fairtrade Foundation, along with an academic and a sceptical business consultant. It was a lively debate with good audience participation, with wine and chocolate afterwards.

Paul and Kojo had time to visit St Paul's while they were in the City, climbing the great dome of one of the largest cathedrals in the world. They thought it was an amazing building and really enjoyed the bright February sunshine views across London, though they also found the wind rather cold!

A Divine Fairtrade Fortnight Launch

What a fantastic start to Fairtrade Fortnight!

Fairtrade companies, supporters, producers, farmers, Londoners and everyone in between gathered together on the Thames on London's Southbank to celebrate the launch of Fairtrade Fortnight with a Fairtrade Fairground.

Divine Chocolate was giving away free delicious tasters of chocolate and were joined by a Henna Tattooist who was giving free Adinkra symbol Henna tattoos (the Ghanaian symbols which feature on the Divine packaging). The two Ghanaian cocoa farmers from Kuapa Kokoo, the cooperative of farmers which co-owns Divine Chocolate, had flown into Heathrow that morning and met visitors to the stall and telling everyone about the difference Fairtrade is making to them and their communities. The weather was glorious and the event was a lot of fun thanks to dancing Fairtrade bananas, a walking talking Dubble bar, games and rides for the children and lots of wonderful Fairtrade samples to try.

Happy Fairtrade Fortnight everyone

From everyone at Divine Chocolate and Kuapa Kokoo

Fairtrade Fortnight Tour

image by kim naylor

Welcome to the Divine Chocolate Fairtrade Fortnight blog.

Divine Chocolate is inviting two cocoa farmers from Ghana to join them here for Fairtrade Fortnight 2008 (25th February – 9th March). Throughout the tour Divine Chocolate and the two farmers will be regulary updating this blog with stories of their journey. This year Divine Chocolate’s tour will include visits to Ireland and Wales, as well as several events in England.

Throughout the two weeks Divine Chocolate and the two Kuapa farmers will be attending a variety of Fairtrade-inspired events and talking to schoolchildren, shoppers and retailers, church groups and local businesses, government officials and Fairtrade steering committees. They will be telling their stories of how Fairtrade, and owning a chocolate company, has changed their lives – and in turn discovering how much we love chocolate here in the UK – and why ‘chocolate makes the world go round’!

The current schedule includes England events in London, Exeter and the Eden Project in Cornwall. In Wales the tour includes Bangor, Powys, Cardiff and Aberystwyth. Then on to Ireland where visits to Dublin, Cork and Belfast are planned.

Divine Chocolate has toured every year for the past six years with cocoa farmers during Fairtrade Fortnight, and 2008 will be the first time the farmers who come will be men! Their roles as Recorders are key to the structure and organisation of Kuapa Kokoo – they are elected as trusted fellow-farmers to weigh the cocoa accurately and pay farmers the right price accordingly. Each year thousands of people in the UK have had the chance to hear farmers speak and hear firsthand the impact of Fairtrade, and hundreds of them have had the chance to speak to the farmers in person. This direct connection with the farmers behind the food we love is key to the appeal of Fairtrade.

Divine Chocolate

Divine Chocolate announced its dividend and Kuapa Kokoo, the largest share holder, shares in the companys profits

Divine Chocolate is the delicious Fairtrade chocolate that is co-owned by the Ghanaian cooperative of cocoa farmers, Kuapa Kokoo, which means 'the Good Cocoa Farmer' in the local Twi language.

All Divine products carry the Fairtrade Mark. This is an independent guarantee from the Fairtrade Foundation that the ingredients are sourced under internationally agreed fair trade terms and conditions. These include a guaranteed, secure price above the world market price for cocoa, an extra social premium payment, long term trading contracts, decent health and safety conditions and a commitment to support community programmes aimed at empowering farmers to increase their abilities to be self sufficient. Divine goes even one step further as the farmers co-ownership of the company means they have a direct influence over how Divine is run and receive a share of the profits from the chocolate.