Fairafric Ghana Limited, a subsidiary of fairafric AG in Germany, is a freezones enterprise and limited liability company registered in Ghana and situated in Amanase near Suhum. Fairafric Ghana produces organic chocolates in Ghana since its registration in 2019.
Fairafric’s mission is to change the chocolate industry narrative and to transfer the value added by producing chocolate from tree to bar in Africa. Thus, all value creation activities – from growing and harvesting cocoa beans, to producing chocolate bars and packing is taking place at Fairafric facilities in Ghana. By those means, more jobs can be created, and higher incomes can be achieved.
In 2020, the company started a collaboration with the Alliance for Product Quality in Africa in order to be supported in the processes of receiving an organic and fair-trade certification for their chocolate products. As of now, the company employs 85 people in its Ghanaian production site and is further diversifying their product lines.
In order to understand the impact of the quality certifications that Fairafric has received with the support of the Alliance, we interviewed the quality manager, Audrey Marmon-Halm. Audrey is responsible for facilitating the food safety management system and for the organic (and any other) certifications. She started working at Fairafric in October 2020, right at the beginning of their operations. Before Fairafric, she worked in the food quality industry for more than ten years.
Audrey, when did Fairafric receive the certifications?
In November 2020, we received our organic certification. In May 2021, the FSSC 22000 certification followed. Which means we are already in the period of being audited annually for the compliance with the certification, quality, and food safety requirements. Both certifications have been obtained in a strong cooperation with the Alliance for Product Quality in Africa. We have been provided with technical support and trainings as well as financial support to pay for the certification fee.
About how many jobs were created due to the impact of your certifications?
Following the certifications, 20 direct jobs in the production field have been created. Furthermore, we were able to create 5 indirect jobs, being support staff or cleaners.
Does your company support increased female employment?
Yes, we have 2 females occupying senior management roles. On top of that, we have policies encouraging women to take (managerial) roles.
Have the certifications helped to access new markets? If yes, which regions?
Yes, the European market. We have, for example, had a French company placing its first order in January 2022. We are now making products especially for the French market. We have also established new commercial relationships with a Swiss company.
Have the certifications helped increase customer satisfaction?
Certainly. A certification comes with a lot of requirements, for example with regards to food safety measures. We have seen that these fulfilled requirements greatly increase customer satisfaction.
What other impacts did the certifications have on your company, especially on your employees?
A main impact and vital change has been the establishment of a food safety management system. Trained employees are now ensuring quality and food safety in their daily tasks. They are also ensuring that the organic status of products is not compromised.
What are your visions and prospects for the future?
We are aiming for more quality certifications. With the help of these certifications, we aim at getting clients in international markets. By expanding more, we wish to create more jobs at Fairafric. Currently, we are working concretely on diversifying our products in terms of ratio and ingredients. We are better understanding the demands of the international chocolate industry. As we have made such good experiences with the previous quality certifications, we have recently applied for the Japanese and US organic certification, aiming at entering these markets as well.
