The Ivorian cooperative COPAVGON was able to establish a new trade relationship with the Swiss trading company Cocoa Source . The basis for the new cooperation is the organic certification of the cooperative.
COPAVGON is a cooperative consisting of 512 smallholder farmers. The cooperative was supported in obtaining an organic certification as part of a joint project of the Alliance for Product Quality in Africa with the BMZ Special Initiative on Training and Job Creation country project in Côte d'Ivoire.
To this end, the cooperative provided with technical and financial assistance to obtain two certifications for its cashew production: an EOS certification (Ecocert Organic Standard for the EU market) and a NOP certification (National Organic Standard for the US market). Both certifications were a prerequisite for Cocoa Sourceto buy cashews from COPAVGON.
Positive prospects for the future
It is expected that the newly created trading relationship will lead to increased productivity and long-term access to the international market for the Ivorian cooperative. This can sustainably improve the working conditions and income of COPAVGON's smallholder farmers.
For Cocoa Source , the most important result is direct access to certified organic quality cashew from Côte d'Ivoire. The resulting positive social and environmental effects are in line with the company's sourcing strategy and philosophy.
"We are very happy about the beautiful success of the organic project with COPAVGON and would like to thank you for making this possible! Now a nice foundation has been laid for a long-term trading relationship with this great cooperative. I am currently in Bondoukou and you can feel the joy!"
Tomas de la Serna from OCEAN S.A., partner of Cocoa Source in Côte d’Ivoire
