Togo accelerates its move upmarket in the global cocoa market
Faced with volatile international prices and fierce competition, Lomé has chosen an offensive strategy: betting on quality to stand out from the crowd. The main instrument of this ambition has just been completed in Abréwankor, in the Wawa prefecture, with the construction of a post-harvest processing center for excellence cocoa.
Led by the Coffee and Cocoa Coordination Committee (CCFCC), this project represents an investment of 160 million CFA francs, fully financed from the professional organization’s own funds.
Work began in October 2025 and is now complete, as announced by Enselme Gouthon, head of the CCFCC, during a press conference in Lomé on Tuesday, May 12, 2026.
Located on a 1.37-hectare plot, the center features modern infrastructure suited to the requirements of fine cocoa: a 25-ton capacity storage warehouse, a fermentation hall, five drying tunnels, a solar-powered potable water supply system, as well as rolling equipment for collecting cocoa from 13 producing villages. This model is directly inspired by Cameroonian excellence centers.
The stated goal is ambitious: to produce 100 tons of excellence cocoa in the first year for international niche markets.
In the long term, Togo hopes to join the very select circle of countries producing “fine and flavored” cocoa.
This positioning is far from trivial: according to industry officials, premium cocoa can sell for “two to three times the current market price.”
“Cocoa faces the aggressiveness of the international market. It is important for us to target a clientele interested in quality,” explained Enselme Gouthon.
“This center will further enhance the quality of Togolese cocoa and put an excellence cocoa on the international market.”
The official inauguration is scheduled for May 23, in the presence of representatives of the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO), French chocolatiers, and Togolese producers awarded at the 2025 Cocoa of Excellence competition.
This recognition confirms the potential of the cocoa sector of Togo and its confident entry into the era of specialty cocoa.
Maurice K. ZONGO
