Talking Drum Chocolate

Talking Drum Chocolate is a registered artisan bean to bar chocolate company located in the Eastern Region of Ghana. Ghana is the second largest producer of cocoa beans in the world after its neighbour Ivory Coast. However, less than 25% of Ghana’s cocoa beans are locally processed – limiting Ghana to capture only 5% of the estimated $28 billion of the global intermediate products market, and only an insignificant share of the global final consumer market of $140 billion. The long-term vision of Talking Drum is to increase Africa’s share in the final consumer market – the chocolate industry. It will do this in four ways: (i) grow its own cocoa beans in the Eastern Region cocoa belt and thereby become one of the few tree-to-bar chocolate makers in the world; (ii) become a reputable bean to bar chocolate company offering exclusive products to local and global markets, (iii) actively build up other chocolate start-ups in Africa by becoming a knowledge hub for aspiring chocolate makers and (iv) integrate the chocolate production within an innovative agroecological farm-to-table concept which is the future of modern farming.

Talking Drum Chocolate targets a niche market through its exclusive offering of DARK MILK chocolate bars using locally grown cocoa beans. Dark milk is increasingly becoming an artisan trend. They are very appealing for consumers who want more cocoa content and less sugar in their chocolates but also like the creaminess of milk. In the future, the company will switch fully to vegan dark milk chocolates (using potentially cashew nuts that being grown on its farm). 

The company owns a 10 acre farm in Kwame Ntow (about 30 minutes’ drive from Aburi town). The farm is provisionally named 4C Farms. The idea is to grow 4 main crops: Cocoa, Cashew, Coffee and Coconut – hence 4C. It also plays on “foresee” as smart farming, onsite processing and farm to fork dining are the future as far as agricultural farming in Africa is concerned. Since 2022, we have cultivated 3 acres of cocoa (an additional 1 acre is planned for 2024), 2 acres of a hybrid robusta-arabica coffee, 2 acres of cashew, 1 acre of coconut and 1 acre of forest trees. There are plans to build an agricultural facility on this farm where the chocolate will be produced (from 2026) in addition to other farm products.  

The company is owned by Dr. Nana Adowaa Boateng. She is a Ghanaian economist and works in international development (14 years working in South Africa, 3.5 years in Cote d’Ivoire, 1.5 years in Nigeria, 1 year in Ghana, 1 year in the US, and 1 year in France). In parallel to her international career, she has learned chocolate making from “Ecole Chocolat” and made and sold chocolate in the summer months in Ghana in partnership with Pinocchio Ice cream and Thrive Wholefoods store. She is assisted by one chef (William Arkorful).