WINNAAR JURYPRIJS Kumasi Connects

Team: Jumoke Oguntimehin

Teacher: Rob Lubberink

Kumasi Connects is an initiative aimed at bolstering the income of cocoa farmers in Ghana and Ivory Coast by providing them with an alternative revenue stream. Through the extraction of cocoa pulp/mucilage from wet cocoa beans, farmers can produce delicious juice from the pulp, which is then sold locally.
In a successful pilot project conducted in Kumasi, Ghana, cocoa farmers underwent training and received essential equipment and materials for juice extraction, processing, pasteurisation, and bottling. Additionally, a comprehensive marketing and advertising campaign was executed to introduce the product to the local market.

The significance of this project is twofold:

1. Economic Empowerment: By diversifying income sources, this initiative has the potential to significantly augment cocoa farmers' earnings, potentially closing the living income gap by up to 10%.
2. Food Loss Reduction: Traditionally considered a byproduct, cocoa pulp now emerges as a valuable commodity, reducing food loss within the cocoa industry and transforming what was once waste into a viable income stream for farmers.

Faculty: Business & Economics