Cocoa Sisters from Papua New Guinea to the United Kingdom

PNG is a long way from Sussex, England, but a developing partnership between Delwin Ketsian from Bougainville and Sarah Payne, founder of the ethical chocolate brand Cocoa Sisters saw the official launch of ‘Delwin’ chocolate bars in the UK this month.

The story began last year when Delwin and 8 other cocoa famers from PNG joined a UK-sponsored visit to the Solomon Islands to attend a chocolate workshop and meet a delegation of British cocoa buyers, including Sarah.

Meeting female cocoa farmers face to face and hearing their stories inspired Sarah to develop Cocoa Sisters.

In the cocoa industry worldwide, women carry out 70% of the labour but receive just 20% of the income.

Sarah was determined to develop a female focused ethical chocolate brand that would empower women at every step of the cocoa supply chain including sourcing beans directly from female farmers, ensuring they receive fair recognition and income for their work.

“I truly believe that when you give something to a woman, she knows instinctively how to make something good with it whether that’s land, resources, or opportunity. The women I work with are living proof of that,” she said.

“By sourcing directly from female cocoa farmers, I can support them not just financially, but also by telling their stories and bringing more awareness to the imbalance that exists in chocolate’s supply chain.”

“My hope for Cocoa Sisters is that it becomes more than just a chocolate brand. I want it to be a platform, one that uplifts the women growing our cocoa and shines a light on their brilliance, resilience, and ambition.”

Attending the launch of Cocoa Sisters in the UK. Foreign Commonwealth Development Office [FCDO] Minister Catherine West, MP noted that: “Gender equality and women’s empowerment are central to our government’s agenda.

"We are integrating women’s economic empowerment into all of our Pacific trade programmes.

“Because women-led enterprise is good for business, good for society and - in this particular case – in very good taste,” She said.

Reacting to the pictures of the launch here in PNG, Delwin expressed her joy and gratitude to her partner Sarah, and other stakeholders for their support in making this possible.

“I don’t know whether to shout, smile or cry. Teamwork achieves positive outcomes and enables us to fly high beyond our expectations.

"I am grateful to the UK Government, British High Commission to PNG, ITC Regional in Australia and my cocoa sister Sarah Payne in Sussex, UK for the launching of Cocoa Sisters 'Delwin chocolate'. Mega thanks for making it happen so far away. We started off in a small way and hopefully will grow sweet like cocoa! Let's all grow to achieve,” she said.