Cocoa Value Creation: West Africa

The West African cocoa model is stuck in a downward price spiral. When quality is inconsistent and traceability is opaque, the market defaults to commodity pricing. This volatility hurts everyone—eroding margins for makers and trapping farmers in poverty.

To break this cycle, we cannot just tweak the existing chain; we have to re-design it from the ground up.

Join us at Chocoa 2026 for an exclusive, high-level workshop exploring the economic reality of centralized fermentation. We are moving beyond the "marketing story" of sustainability to look at the hard data of value creation.

What We Will Cover:

• The Economic Case: Why centralized post-harvest processing is the only viable path to consistent quality and higher market value.
• The Data: Insights from the field on how "Source Fermentation" changes the unit economics of a cocoa sack.
• The Agility Factor: How to build a supply chain that reacts to market volatility with agility rather than panic.

The Speakers: This panel brings together three unique perspectives on value creation:

• Sylvestre Awono (Puratos): Representing one of the world's most successful sustainable sourcing programs (Cacao-Trace). Sylvestre brings deep expertise in implementing post-harvest centers and community direct investments at scale.
• Dr. Kristy Leissle (African Cocoa Marketplace): A renowned scholar and founder, Kristy offers an unparalleled view into market access and the macro-economics of the West African trade.
• Ferdi van Heerden (COOKO): As a longstanding innovator and CEO, Ferdi will share how digitizing the "first mile" and controlling the fermentation protocol creates a new asset class of cocoa.

Who Should Attend: Chocolate makers, traders, and sustainability officers who are tired of the status quo and are looking for data-backed models to secure high-quality supply while ensuring genuine economic impact at origin.

Note on Capacity: Space is strictly limited to ensure an interactive discussion.