Three Ghanaian cocoa farmers have had their produce selected among the top 50 cocoa beans out of 223 samples shortlisted for the finals of the International Cocoa Awards (ICA).
The three are Augustine Blay, Joseph Jongmaatey and Samuel Tetteh from Elubo in the Western Region and Abuakwa in the Eastern Region respectively. The selection has put Ghana among the league of 5 cocoa producing countries, picking 3 spots a piece to emerge finalists in the sought-after biennial Awards.
A statement on the official website of Cocoa of Excellence, the organizers of the International Cocoa Awards (ICA) disclosed that “The Cocoa of Excellence (CoEx) Technical Committee completed the evaluation of all accepted samples processed into liquor and we are pleased to announce the names of the producers of the best 50 samples”
According to the event website, “the next step is the evaluation of these samples processed into chocolate in September for the selection of the 2019 International Cocoa Awards that will be celebrated at the Salon du Chocolat in Paris from 30 October to 3 November 2019.”
The International Cocoa Award finals comes off October 30, 2019 during the 5-day Salon du Chocolat or Cocoa of Excellence Programme in Paris, France.
Meanwhile, In 2017 a member of the Cocoa Abrabopa Association, Simon Marfo, won the prestigious Cocoa of Excellence International Cocoa Award together with 18 cocoa bean samples from across the world.
Marfo’s winning cocoa bean samples competed alongside those of his compatriots, John Kofi Assiamah and Noah Obeng, among 188 samples from 40 countries.
Ghana’s ICA 2017 winner, a beneficiary of fine flavour training by the World Cocoa Foundation’s African Cocoa Initiative, also had his sample adjudged as one of the four best from the Africa and the Indian Ocean region.
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The Cocoa of Excellence (CoEx) Programme is the entry point for cocoa-producers to participate in the International Cocoa Awards (ICA), a global competition recognizing the work of cocoa farmers and celebrating the diversity of cocoa flavours. This is a unique opportunity to promote high-quality cocoa and diversity at national level and celebrate the skills and know-how of the men and women who produce it.
