Gebana Togo

With just 89 producers, the Société Coopérative Simplifié des Producteurs de Cacao biologique (SCOOPS PROCAB) was founded in 2008. With the support of Gebana, a Fair Trade organization originally working in Togo with soy farmers, SCOOPS PROCAB was the first organization in Togo to produce and export organic cocoa beans. Now, the cooperative is strong and organized in over 20 villages, with each village having its own representative who brings the cacao to the central warehouse. These village representatives also voice concerns from farmers to the cooperative’s various committees including executive, environmental, and audit. The annual general assembly decides how to spend their Fair Trade premiums. In the past, the premiums have funded initiatives such as new cacao trees, scales to weigh cacao, and chairs and tables for local schools. In order to increase transparency, SCOOPS PROCAB and Gebana Togo are working toward more and more direct payments. One of the ways they are monitoring these payments is through a new digital platform that stores farm data and enables direct payments.