Chocolate from Congo's conflict hotspot

Cocoa Congo's founders Adele Gwet and Matthew Chambers inspect a shipment of beans grown in Beni, a town some 350 km to the north of the company's headquarters in Goma. The couple are aiming to be the first 'bean to bar' company in Congo – adding value by making chocolate inside the country instead of exporting cocoa beans for processing elsewhere

Sometimes it's a long wait for the beans to arrive. The road from Beni is potholed and muddy and passes through a forest where armed militias lurk. Cocoa Congo pays the suppliers in Beni – who are small-scale farmers and mostly women – 20 percent more for their raw cocoa beans than the large cacao exporters, says Chambers.

"I came to Congo to work with and support other women," says Adele Gwet, who grew up in Cameroon and studied finance in Kenya. "I want to help them improve their lives. That's why I'm teaching them how to make chocolate." Gwet taught herself how to make chocolate by reading recipes online and patiently experimenting with the bean roasting times and mixes of milk, sugar and cocoa butter.

These women carefully watch the chocolate as it melt over small stoves. Since its inception three months ago, Cocoa Congo has produced several hundred bars of chocolate in this small annex. The plan is to increase the amount to 20,000 per month in 2019.

Mamy Simire – one of 10 company employees – wraps the finished chocolate bars. She can hardly believe that they're completely made in Congo. Chocolate is an unaffordable luxury for the mother of five. "I had seen people eating chocolate on TV but trying it is impossible for us, it's too expensive." Now her children are allowed to have a taste. After all, quality control is important!

Cocoa Congo is planning to sell its chocolate online. As an added extra, the chocolate wrappers are painted by artists from Goma. A pack of three 50 gram 'art bars' will cost around €17 ($20). "We are not only exporting chocolate but also a positive image of the Congo," says founder Chambers.

Sylvie Chishungu Zawadi works with the Beni cocoa farmers in the conflict zone. The women are often raped when they work in the fields and risk being kidnapped, or even murdered. "Working with the company is good, but is the farmers' security guaranteed? Aren't they even more at the mercy of the militias?" The government also has to carry out its duties for a truly safe chocolate, she warns.