Faithful to its commitments to a transparent, ethical and sustainable cocoa sector, Relais Desserts is committed to a new project, alongside the Association of Chocolatiers Engagés.

Chocolatiers Engagés is an association of chocolatiers whose goal is to 

• Change the rules of the cocoa trade,
• Ensure an adequate standard of living for producers and development prospects for local communities.
• Produce quality cocoa that respects the environment, both by guaranteeing a decent income for producers.

Created 5 years ago, the association has developed several projects to support cocoa producers in Cameroon. Relais Desserts wanted to rely on the association's expertise and its very good knowledge of the Cameroonian cocoa sector, in order to support a project that develops the autonomy of women and their access to land ownership, thanks to cocoa farming. 

Rural Coastal Women 

The Rural Coastal Women is a cooperative created 2 years ago and whose objective is to train isolated women in cocoa cultivation so that they can make a living and become financially independent.

About thirty women had joined the association at its creation, they are now nearly 70!

Specifically, each one of them has access to hectare of land and has received the necessary seedlings, as well as the first training on cultivation techniques. 

The support of Relais Desserts is on the one hand financial, it will enable:

• the creation of a post-harvest centre of excellence: bean storage centre, fermentation and drying centre 
• the acquisition of equipment: tools, vehicles, etc.
• training in cultivation techniques
• management and marketing training

Post-harvest centres of excellence are recognized as a sign of quality by the Cameroonian government and ensure cooperatives a higher than average purchase price for cocoa beans.

The support is also human. The objective is for a Relais Desserts group to travel twice a year for 2 years to see the progress of the work and get involved in the project in addition to the amounts paid. The producers are also in need of advice on chocolate makers' expectations in terms of bean quality.

Foundation stone 

A first trip took place in September to sign the partnership contract and symbolically lay the foundation stone of this link between Cameroon and France, from one end of the cocoa sector to the other.

Vincent Guerlais, president of Relais Desserts, Daniel Mercier, president of the Association of Chocolatiers Engagés, Agnès Maledy, president of the Rural Coastal Women cooperative lay the foundation stone for the cooperative's future centre of excellence.

In regular contact with the women of the association, we will be able to share here the progress of the work and the growth of cocoa plants.

You can also follow the instagram account @femme_rurale_littoral.

You will soon find the chocolate made from the beans of the Rural Coastal Women Cooperative in the shops of your Relais Desserts artisans.