Meet Afia, Samuel, Iddrisu and Charles

She is a farmer from Afiduase-Ogua, a town and capital of the Ashanti region of Ghana, about two hundred kilometres inland from the national capital of Accra. At thirty-four years old and standing at a mere 1.5 metres tall, Afia now farms with her husband in the Asante Akyim region. A mother of four, she rears sheep and grows cassava and plantain for both consumption and retail and finds great joy and purpose in organic cocoa farming.

Hailing from the Oboo-Kwahi in the eastern region of Ghana, twenty kilometres from the western shores of Lake Volta, is Samuel Danso. After completing middle school at Kwahu Anglican School in 1983, Samuel only has a few acres of land, but thanks to strict adherence to organic norms, he gets a considerable volume of beans from his humble farm size. Not content with just cocoa, Mr Danso has a few acres of palm trees – and is also popular as the town distiller!

Iddrisu Mahama is from the northern regions of Ghana and serves as caretaker to the chief of Takyikrom, Nana Akuamoah. Iddrisu is more than a caretaker to the chief; at fifty years old, he has farms he has cultivated himself and aims to be the greatest organic farmer in his community. With ten members in his household assisting him, a goal he is sure to reach. Besides cocoa, Mr Mahama grows cassava and plantain to feed his family.

At a stately 93 years old, Charles Agyapong is the linguist to the chief of Takyikrom. Originally from Abetifi, close to the shores of Lake Volta and 130 km from Accra, Mr Agyapong is the father of six children and considers himself a serious farmer boasting fifteen acres of farmland. He has committed his entire life to organic cocoa farming and still actively farms even at his advanced age.
These are just a snippet of the thousands of people who make Three Mountains Cocoa great. Their stories need to be told because, as with all great products, it starts at the roots.