Cocoa
Our Locations
Cocoa is used to make cocoa liquor and butter and is the main component of high quality chocolate. The cocoa tree comes from Central America and has been used by man for more than 4,000 years.
Farmers in Uganda grow a mix of hybrids with maraños (Brazil-Peru), amelonado (Brazil-Guyana) and Iquitos
(Peru) origins.
We are constantly striving to improve our systems and quality, as well as get cocoa growing in more areas of East Africa to reach more farmers and produce more of this fine product.
Bundibugyo
Nestled between the Congo border along the Lamia river and the northern reaches of the formidable Rwenzori Mountains is Bundibugyo.
Esco Uganda’s main cocoa activity is here where we work with more than 12,000 farmers.
As well as our main Bundibugyo factory we also have our smaller Bumati factory. Here we process organic certified or specialty cocoa, which needs to be kept separate from conventional cocoa.
Beyond our farmer training and employment at our sites and stores we have built a town library, the only one in Bundibugyo and the surrounding districts. Read more here.
​
A large part of our community engagement is driven by Esco staff and we are proud that in recent crisis such as the 2019 floods our team formed part of the town emergency response effort donating time, food and household essentials generously.
Kagadi and Kakumiro
As part of our drive to reach more farmers and impact more livelihoods we have been reaching out from Bundibugyo, Kagadi, Kakumiro and Mayuge.
Partnering with AgDevCo we have found farmer interest and engagement brilliant; and are excited to see increased production as the trees mature.
Mayuge and Mukono
While most of our cocoa is grown on and around the Rwenzoris this special area encompasses the northern shores of Lake Victoria and the source of the Nile at Jinja.
To date volumes remain small, but we have had the privilege of seeing farmer training result in excellent practices and cocoa quality; some of our best in Uganda.
Mukono is also the home of our main vanilla processing factory in Ntenjeru. Read more.
Grow
​
​
Harvest
​
​
Ferment
​
​
Dry
​
​
Clean
​
​
Bag
​
​
Send!
