Don’t you love it when something delicious is also ethical and a force for good in this world?
The story of how Afrikoa came to be is a beautiful one, but first: news about their SUPER AMAZING Chocolate Christmas Hampers!
Wanna see some blissed-out smiles this Christmas? Give someone you love an Afrikoa Chocolate Christmas Hamper. (Or get one for your own lovely self, then look in the mirror to see how chuffed you are.) They deliver!
Choose from:
LUXURY GIFT BOX
R500 incl. delivery nationwide
The AFRIKOA GIFT PACK consists of the 27% Milk Chocolate which is fudgy, rich, and tastes of caramel, burnt butter and toasted hazelnuts. The 55% Semisweet Chocolate is milder, with almond and raisin notes, and the 70% has a long-lasting tropical flavour.
AFRIKOA 80% SUGAR FREE CHOCOLATE – Dark, decadent and guilt-free. This chocolate is velvety smooth with a low bitterness level.
For the bakers, Afrikoa included a bag of 55% SEMISWEET Drops, so you can try your hand at the Festive recipe Katelyn from The Kate Tin has created (see truffle recipe below).
The MINIS are perfect stocking fillers or to enjoy with coffee after that indulgent festive lunch.
FESTIVE CRACKER – a new product coming soon!
From white chocolate fudge to cocoa nib toffee, Afrikoa added some extra goodies to really make you jolly!
They’re packed with Afrikoa’s chocolate and all made by hand, crafted from scratch, right here in this land!
FAMILY GIFT BOX
R350 incl. delivery nationwide
AFRIKOA BARS consisting of 27% Milk Chocolate which is fudgy, rich and tastes of caramel, burnt butter and toasted hazelnuts. The 55% Semisweet Chocolate is milder, with almond and raisin notes and the 70% has a long-lasting tropical flavour.
AFRIKOA 80% SUGAR FREE CHOCOLATE – Dark, decadent and guilt-free. This chocolate is velvety smooth with a low bitterness level.
The MINIS are perfect stocking fillers or to enjoy with coffee after that indulgent festive lunch.
FESTIVE CRACKER – a new product coming soon!
For the bakers, Afrikoa included a bag of 55% SEMISWEET Drops, so you can try your hand at the Festive recipe Katelyn from The Kate Tin has created. Recipe here:
MYBAKER WHITE CHOCOLATE, CHRISTMAS TREE MOULD & SPRINKLES – What better way to keep the kiddies busy during the holidays?
THE THRILLING AFRIKOA STORY:
AFRIKOA is the first bean-to-bar company in South Africa to produce chocolate made from cocoa sourced directly from African farmers.
This is no small deal, folks. It’s a labour of love, born from integrity and passion.
By trading directly with the farmers (and cutting out about 7 middlemen), Afrikoa ensures the freshest, finest-quality cocoa beans, and empowers farmers to create their own sustainable futures. The cocoa beans never leave the African continent, travelling just far enough to the southern tip of Africa, where Afrikoa’n experienced chocolate-makers create the perfect chocolate bar.
All Afrikoa’s chocolate is Halaal and Kosher-certified. It contains no artificial flavourings, colourings nor soy. The dark chocolates are lactose-free and suitable for vegans.
Made in Africa, For Africa
While almost two-thirds of the world’s cocoa is grown in Africa, most of it is exported to Europe and America, where it’s turned into chocolate before being returned to our African shores.
Afrikoa believes in growing the art of chocolate-making within Africa and supporting the farmers and their local communities. This is why they’ve made the promise that their chocolate will always be Made in Africa, For Africa, using cocoa beans that have never left the continent.
Relationship with the cocoa farmers:
The search for the best African cocoa beans led Afrikoa’s Head Chocolate Maker, Antonino Allegra, to the small rural region of Kyela in Tanzania where he met with two groups of passionate farmers, headed by Castor Sanga and Simon Mwakyusa, who were frustrated with a system which left their hard work and excellent-quality cocoa beans with little reward.
It was while sitting in a traditional meeting under the shade of a cocoa tree that Antonino realized the mutual benefit of simply buying the cocoa beans straight from these farmers. Afrikoa believes that this partnership, which treats the farmers with fairness, dignity and respect, is the future of chocolate.
It also means you can enjoy our chocolate knowing that you are encouraging a sustainable future for these 60 farmers and their families.
Direct Trade:
Direct trade means that Afrikoa sources cocoa beans directly from cocoa farmers, cutting out all the traditional middlemen, buyers, sellers and organisations that control certifications, all of whom add their own profit margins to the beans the farmers have worked so hard to grow.
By trading directly with the farmers, Afrikoa ensures the finest-quality cocoa beans while the cocoa farmers earn 250% more than they would with the traditional system.
Yet another benefit of Direct Trade is fresh cocoa; while the traditional cocoa bean trading system means that the majority of chocolate makers buy their cocoa from Europe, it also means that these cocoa beans sit in massive warehouses for months and lose valuable flavour. By trading directly with farmers, Afrikoa receives the cocoa beans within weeks of them leaving the farms in Kyela. Fresh cocoa beans are highly aromatic and packed with flavour and Antonino and Katelyn Allegra believe that this is what makes AFRIKOA chocolate so unique.
Direct trade is certainly not the easiest route and Afrikoa has faced many challenges and gone to great lengths to do so successfully. While the process sounds simpler, removing all the middlemen also means removing traditional transport systems and starting from scratch. Often the best cocoa is grown off the beaten track and getting the cocoa beans from farmers in Kyela to the shipping port of Dar Es Salaam now requires a 12-hour journey by truck via dirt roads – a long trip that Castor and Simon take themselves in order to make sure their beans arrive safely and just one of the many examples of their passion and eagerness to empower themselves. At each step of the process, AFRIKOA provides them with support, knowledge and resources. While direct trade is a challenge very few chocolate makers undertake, Afrikoa believes in it, because sometimes the right way isn’t always the easiest way.
THE CHOCOLATE:
A close relationship with the cocoa farmers allows Afrikoa to collaborate with them, to create the perfect cocoa beans which experienced chocolate makers then turn into the perfect chocolate bar.
While most of the small-scale cocoa farmers can’t afford to be organically certified (an official ‘organic’ stamp requires a hefty price tag) their cocoa beans and trees are grown without the use of pesticides or chemicals – in fact, pesticides on cocoa farms haven’t been used in Tanzania since the 1970’s.
CONTACT DETAILS:
www.afrikoa.com
Phone: 021 551 1806
Email: info@afrikoa.com
SOCIAL MEDIA:
www.facebook.com/afrikoachocolate
Twitter: @afrikoa
Instagram: @afrikoachocolate
