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🍫 Cocoa Bean Types & Technical Profile – Kenema District, Sierra Leone

🧬 Bean Genetics

• Predominantly Upper Amazon Forastero hybrids, introduced during post-war rehabilitation efforts.

• Interspersed with Criollo–Trinitario hybrids, especially from older farms or legacy plots.

• Recent NGO-led replanting programs are promoting high-yielding, disease-resistant clones (e.g., T85/799, T79/501 – adapted from Ghanaian and Ivorian selections).

🌳 Agro-Ecology of Kenema Cocoa

• Altitude: 150–600m above sea level

• Annual rainfall: 1,800–2,500 mm

• Soil: Deep, well-drained ferralsols and ultisols, rich in organic matter

• Shade trees: Commonly grown under Gliricidia sepium, banana, and native forest canopy

🌾 Farming Practices

• Smallholder dominance with 1–3 hectare plots

• Mostly organic-by-default (limited agrochemical use due to cost constraints)

• Use of traditional fermentation boxes (wooden) and sun-drying on mats or raised bamboo racks

• 3–6-day fermentation, producing beans with mid-range acidity and good chocolate potential

🍫 Sierra Leone Cocoa: Quick Facts & Future Outlook

🌍 Origins & Quality

• Fine-flavor potential: Sierra Leone cocoa has low cadmium levels and distinct flavor notes, making it attractive for specialty and craft chocolate.

• Heirloom genetics: Some varieties trace back to Criollo and Trinitario ancestry, offering unique taste profiles.

• Low pesticide footprint: Predominantly organic-by-default due to minimal chemical input usage by smallholders.

👨🏾‍🌾 Production Landscape

• 80,000+ smallholder farmers cultivate cocoa in agroforestry systems.

• Grown mainly in Eastern Province (Kailahun, Kenema, Kono).

• Average farm size: 1–3 hectares, intercropped with palm, coffee, and food crops.

📈 Export & Market Trends

• Annual cocoa bean exports: ~15,000–20,000 metric tons.

• Emerging traceable and direct trade channels via cooperatives and NGOs.

• EU and US markets are the primary buyers, with rising interest in Japan and Korea.

💡 Sustainability & Innovation

• National drive toward organic and Fairtrade certifications.

• Initiatives in climate-smart agriculture, regenerative farming, and reforestation.

• Youth-led agri-tech startups are entering the cocoa space.

📊 Projections (2025–2030)

• Production expected to double to ~40,000 metric tons with current investments.

• New processing units projected to boost value-added exports (e.g., cocoa butter, nibs, powder).

• Potential to become a West African hub for premium cocoa under sustainable branding.

🚀 Strategic Advantages

• Short transit time to EU (compared to Ghana or Nigeria).

• Government incentives for agribusiness investment and export diversification.

• Untapped regions with ideal altitude, rainfall, and soil for cocoa expansion.

10,000 MT FULL CASH FLOW

🧪 Flavor & Physical Traits

FeatureKenema Cocoa DescriptionBean sizeMedium (90–110 beans per 100g)Fermentation rate80–90% well-fermentedFlavor notesSubtle fruitiness (berry & raisin hints), mild earthiness, low bitternessCadmium levelLow (<0.3 mg/kg), favorable for EU standardsButter fat contentAverage to high (~52–56%)

🔍 Quality Grades (Local Context)

• Grade 1: Well-fermented, uniform color, no smoke-taint, minimal mold/insect damage

• Grade 2: Mixed fermentation levels, slight off-notes, some broken beans

• Beans are typically sold sun-dried to buying agents, but increasing interest in traceable lots for craft chocolate

📈 Post-Harvest Trends in Kenema

• New post-harvest centers with solar drying, bulk fermentation boxes, and moisture meters introduced via NGOs and export-oriented projects.

• Cooperatives are experimenting with flavor mapping and lot segregation by village and clone type.

🌱 1. From War to Wealth: Cocoa as a Healing Crop

After Sierra Leone’s civil war (1991–2002), many rural communities were left devastated. In Kailahun and Kenema districts—once epicenters of conflict—cocoa farming became a pathway to healing.

Families who had fled returned to reclaim their land. They cleared overgrown farms, planted new cocoa trees, and rebuilt their lives around the crop. For many, cocoa became a symbol of peace and economic rebirth, offering not just income but identity and dignity.

🌾 2. The Women Behind the Beans

Women in cocoa-growing villages have formed savings groups and cooperatives, combining farming with financial literacy.

In one story, a group of women from the village of Pendembu started as harvest helpers. Over time, they trained in post-harvest handling and formed a micro-cooperative. Today, they manage fermentation and drying stations, ensuring quality that meets export standards—and they invest their earnings into education for their daughters.

🌍 3. Agroforestry Champions

Cocoa farmers in the Eastern Province are leading a quiet agroforestry revolution.

One elder farmer, known as “Pa Musa,” began reintroducing native shade trees like iroko and mahogany to his cocoa farm. The result? A cooler microclimate, richer soil, and birdsong that hadn’t been heard in decades. Now, younger farmers visit Pa Musa's plot for inspiration, calling it a “living classroom.”

🌿 4. Youth Cocoapreneurs

Young people in Sierra Leone are increasingly seeing cocoa not as “bush work,” but as a tech-enabled business opportunity.

In Bo District, a youth-led group developed a mobile app prototype that helps farmers track their cocoa weights and payments. With support from an NGO, they’re piloting it across five villages. Their dream? To digitize transparency and attract more youth to agribusiness.

📚 5. Cocoa & Classrooms

Some cocoa cooperatives have agreed to divert part of their earnings into community development.

In Tikonko, farmers built a three-classroom school block using a fund created from cocoa sales. Today, the children of cocoa farmers are learning under roofs made possible by beans their parents fermented.