Meeting is boring

..but not at our cooperatives in West Africa. Just like in Amsterdam, we make it a party in West Africa. With party truck and awards. Why are annual meetings at our partner cooperatives in West Africa so important for our mission? We explain that in this blog.

Meeting contributes to a stronger farmer 
Do you remember ... our five cooperation principles? We believe a strong farmer is important, because he is not dependent on chocolate companies. And farmers together are stronger than farmers alone. That is why the cocoa farmers who supply the beans for your Tony's bar are united in democratic cooperatives. The cooperative provides all kinds of services such as training, the purchase of fertilizer, loans and a school fund. In addition, the cooperative arranges the sale of cocoa. In this way they look for new buyers and negotiate the price. During an annual meeting votes are cast on plans for the coming year and financial figures are shared. Representatives from the government, cocoa buyers, Fair Trade and also Tony’s are present.

This year we went to all annual meetings in Ivory Coast and Ghana with Tony’s brand new party truck. There was a lot of dancing but also a lot of laughter, because none other than the Ivorian cabaratier Magnific accompanied the party truck. Always fancy a party that man!

Go home with a scooter
During the annual meetings, a number of young farmers are also put in the spotlight during the Best Young Farmer Awards. More and more young people are moving to the cities to find work, which means that the age of the average farmer is increasing. This only reduces productivity on the plantations. And that is exactly where opportunities lie for young farmers. They often dare to innovate more, so that the plantations can become more professional. And that may be rewarded! Maarreh .. how are the winners of the Best Young Farmer Awards then chosen? Farmers between the ages of 18 and 35 can register for an agricultural training course of six months. During this training, we look at who best applies the lessons to his plantation. Konan Kouadio Thiery went home with a scooter at the ECAM cooperative. A new board was elected at our Ghanaian partner cooperative ABOCFA. We are happy to see that there are more and more young people on the board. Elections are held every three years. Moreover, critical questions were asked. We love that!

No strong farmer without Tony's serious friends 
Not only the annual meetings contribute to a strong farmer. To change the industry, we need your help. Together with you we want to inspire everyone in the industry to take his or her responsibility in the chain. Participate? Become a serious friend and tell it through: together we make chocolate 100% slave free.