Annual Report 2011-12

WORLDWIDEDivine in USADivine expanded in Canada pickingup distribution with Bulk Barn (a familyownedchain of stores), Indigo Books andMusic and into all of the Whole Foodsmarket stores. Divine can be found at anincreasing number of stores in additionto the shelves of Ten Thousand Villagesstores throughout Canada – our firstdistribution partner.Two farmers from Kuapa Kokoo visitedfor a speaking tour about Kuapa’s GenderProgramme. Since 1998 Kuapa has madetraining, credit and support available toKuapa’s women’s group members toencourage alternative income generationthat supports family welfare. FeliciaMensah and Fatima Ali addressed cocoaand development specialists at the WorldBank, international labour rights specialistsat the US Department of Labor and a livelyreception at the Embassy of Ghana inWashington DC.Just in time for Christmas we launcheda Divine Baking Range. The bakers atProhibition Bakery developed gorgeousand intoxicating cupcakes using our cocoapowder and Divine Baking Bars. The SaucyPumpkin (with a shot of stout) and Darkand Tawny (with a shot of tawny port)became instant favourites at this up andcoming New York City bakery. AstorCenter mixologists helped Divine ring inthe New Year with a Divine Le Bon Boncocktail and Divine Smoke martini. All ofthese recipes and more are available onlineand Facebook at DivineChocolateUSA.Producer Supportand DevelopmentEach year Divine dedicates 2% of itsincome to a producer support anddevelopment programme with KuapaKokoo and its other supply chain partners.This year the programme providedassistance to a number of key areas ofKuapa’s governance and operationalmanagement, such as the developmentof a new three-year strategic plan andstrengthening financial procedures andcontrols. In addition, funding andtechnical support was provided tocomplete the development of and trainstaff to manage a centralised databaserecording information on Kuapa’s membershipand the cocoa it purchases from themeach year. It may not be very exciting, butthis is an essential tool in helping Kuapa tokeep track of its 65,000 farmer members,ensuring that each is complying withthe social, environmental and farmingstandards required to produce the bestquality, sustainable cocoa, and thateach receives the payment, trainingand bonuses they can expect in return.Communicating effectively with such alarge and dispersed membership (manyof whom cannot read) is a big challenge,but Kuapa is taking a proactive andinnovative approach to this. At the endof September 2012 Kuapa’s communicationsteam were about to go live with theirown radio programme pilot offering amix of news, information, interaction andentertainment – initially in the WesternRegion, the zone most densely populatedwith Kuapa members. Watch this space!Kuapa KokooAs always Divine held one of its four BoardMeetings in Ghana, giving the opportunityto have meetings with Kuapa Kokoo’s newNational Executive Committee membersand discuss progress on Kuapa initiatives.Sophi Tranchell also attended KuapaKokoo’s AGM in September and whileshe was there met up with Comic ReliefChairman Peter Bennett Jones makinghis first visit to see the co-operativewhich Comic Relief has supported fromthe start in 1994.Members and staff of Kuapa Kokoowere filmed for a documentary on Ghanacreated by US company EPIC GlobalMedia – and the co-operative was presentedas an example of innovative business in thecountry, with farmers taking the lead. Thefilm has been broadcast on Bloomberg TVand CNBC Europe.Felicia and Fatima at the GhanaianEmbassy in Washington DCPeter Bennett Jones, Sophi Tranchell,and Kofi Topeng, Operations Managerat KKL