Inspiring the Next Generation of Cocoa Farmers, One Chocolate Bar at a Time
"What happens to our cocoa beans after they leave our farms?" It’s a question often asked by the children of cocoa farmers; one that exposes a troubling disconnect at the heart of the global chocolate industry.
Chocolate Has a Name (CHAN), a pilot initiative under Ese Ne Tekyerema CIC, was created to close that gap. Founded by Adelle A’asante, a Ghanaian woman from a lineage of women cocoa farmers, CHAN uses arts, culture, and narrative-change driven experiences as an intentional act of repair, reconnecting UK consumers to Ghanaian cocoa cultivators through cultural events, workshops and farm-visit programs. But with limited resources and an ambitious mission, the organization needed support to transform its powerful storytelling into sustainable, scalable impact.
As part of the I DO Foundation program, a team of student consultants stepped in to help CHAN build the infrastructure required for long-term growth. Their challenge was clear: How can a small NGO expand its storytelling reach and create systems that sustain impact over time?
Team 14 of the 2024–2025 I DO Cohort: Kevin Chen, Danisha Azzahra, Olga Musial, Ben Schellkes, and Ziad El Aimani, joined forces to tackle this question.
The Recipe for Growth
To support CHAN’s scale-up, the team approached the challenge from multiple angles, designing tools and strategies the organization could use immediately:
Driving donations: Prototyped and pilot-launched unique, story-driven chocolate bars
Marketing amplification: Organically increased social media reach by 210% and accounts reached by 561% within four months, bringing farmers' stories to a global audience
Brand clarity: Implemented concrete branding guidelines to strengthen CHAN's visual identity and messaging consistency
Partnership growth: Composed tailored outreach materials for three distinct partner segments to expand CHAN's network
Operational systems: Revised SMART goals and established clear role divisions, plus developed people and KPI tracking systems for better organized execution
"As our NGO was limited in resources, our team's main focus was scale," reflected Danisha. "But most importantly, we got to take a story often untold onto a wider online and in-person audience."
Setting the Bar, and Going Beyond
For CHAN, the partnership provided structure at a critical growth stage. "I feel like our NGO was at the beginning of its growth so it was really useful for them to structure their actions," shared Olga. Kevin captured the emotional weight of seeing their work implemented: "The success of the (impact) event and the production of our own chocolate bars have shown us that our work has been acknowledged and also implemented. The feeling that you have is insane and extremely unbelievable."
For the students, the project became deeply personal. "I did not make friends, but a family who will always be close to my heart," Kevin said. Ziad summed up the broader value: "Besides all the hard and soft skills you gain while implementing your strategy, the project is also a great way to meet like minded peers who'll become great friends of yours."
As with navigating any challenge in the dynamic NGO world, there is always room to explore growth opportunities for CHAN. Nonetheless, the I DO partnership allowed for greater confidence, clarity, and capacity to grow their impact.
Learn more about Chocolate Has a Name's work to give cocoa farmers a voice at their website and follow their journey in reshaping the chocolate narrative: https://chocolatehasaname.org.uk