CONGOCAO – our cocoa from the Democratic Republic of Congo

In 2017 we began supplying cocoa from the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, which was sourced from third parties. Finally, in 2020, we established our own sourcing company, CONGOCAO SARL, in Beni. Our young local team is very capable and adapts to the challenges posed by the security situation in eastern DRC, which remains unstable but manageable.

We load the cocoa we source on trucks which travel to Kampala in transit. There, our Ugandan team from BUNDICAO LTD in Kampala is responsible for cross-checking the quality of each shipment once it arrives at the bonded warehouse. Upon ascertainment of the quality, the goods are cross stuffed into seaworthy containers and transported to the port of Mombasa, from where they then set sail around the world.

DRC cocoa is particularly appreciated by our customers for its lower cadmium content compared to other East African beans. The cocoa also benefits from being hand-selected and is therefore cleaner and contains less cocoa related matter (CRM) than comparable African origins. CONGOCAO SARL is FDA registered, and we are working on becoming Organic, FLO Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance certified. In the meantime, in partnership with third parties, we already source FLO Fairtrade, Organic and Rainforest Alliance certified cocoa.

CONGOCAO's objectives are to promote:

Maintain and improve worker’s and employee’s living conditions by safeguarding their health and safety. We aim to be an employer of choice through our daily practices as a responsible employer
Assist capacity development by providing cocoa farmers with individual technical assistance from our field staff, as well as through the information exchanged in our farmer field school sessions, which cover topics such as income diversification, accounting, environmental protection, gender equality and reforestation
Eliminate any form of forced labour, child labour or discrimination we encounter
Ensure the traceability and quality of the cocoa we purchase, including that it does not originate from protected or illegally deforested areas
Strengthen and maintain the long-standing relationships we have with our partner farmers and employees