Mr Kobina Tahir Hammond, Minister of Trade and Industry, has inaugurated a $10 million state-of-the-art cocoa pulp processing factory to produce fruit juice for export.

According to the Minister, the factory would generate additional revenue and integrate new components into the food and beverage business, such as chocolate confectionery goods, ice cream, and drinks.

Mr Kobina Tahir Hammond expressed his delight with the company’s full-scale integration of technology into its operations and business dealings.

The factory, operated by KOA Impact Ghana Limited and located in Akim Achiase in the Eastern Region, is expected to create 250 new jobs and help reduce on-farm food waste in the cocoa value chain through the upcycling process.

Mr Hammond stated that the government maintains that prosperity for all remains achievable through inclusive and sustainable industrial transformation, as well as ensuring the highest standards of food safety to ensure significant market access for brands produced completely or in part in Ghana.

The Trade Minister underlined the President’s commitment to a Ghana Beyond Aid agenda that will ensure the country leverages major investment to enhance manufacturing, notably in the agro-industry, allowing Ghana to trade competitively and chart a sustainable road out of Aid dependence.

The Minister stated that the establishment of KOA Impact Ghana Limited came at a time when the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) Agreement, in terms of lucrative commerce, was gaining steam.

Harnessing Opportunities Under the AfCFTA

Mr Hammond said he hoped that more businesses would take up the challenge to harness the opportunities under the AfCFTA.

The Minister was pleased that KOA Ghana Limited has implemented the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) system to ensure food safety and product quality standard.

The Swiss-Ghanaian start-up business KOA is believed to be Africa’s largest pulp processing plant based on upcycling cocoa fruit. The company, which recently attended the ISM event in Cologne Germany showcasing its series of environmentally friendly juice and chocolate products, has signalled its intention for major growth.

As the innovative firm explained to Confectionery Production, it has formed several key industry partnerships over the past two years in order to drive the development of its sustainably-focused ranges.

Notably, the company said that its latest investment from private enterprise and institutions, will reportedly allow Koa to scale its production capabilities tenfold and thereby allowing the company to cooperate with an additional 10,000 cocoa smallholders in the country.

“We are excited that we won strong and reputable partners for the further growth of our business. It shows that our way of responsibly doing business and our value proposition are meeting the pulse of the time. With these investments, we will be setting up Africa’s largest cocoa pulp processing plant in West Africa which is the world’s largest cocoa growing region,” Benjamin Kuschnik, Co-Founder and Group Finance Director of Koa, said.

Founded in 2017, Koa is disrupting the cocoa industry through its innovative upcycling of the cocoa fruit. Koa is thought to be the first company in West Africa to have unlocked a new value chain around the so far discarded cocoa pulp. Working closely with cocoa smallholders, it reduces on-farm food waste around the cocoa fruit, generates additional farmer income while at the same time bringing uniquely new ingredients to the food and beverage industry for applications ranging from chocolate, confectionery, ice cream to drinks.