Partners

The UPCOCOA project is a multi-stakeholder project with participants from throughout the cocoa value chain. Different companies and organisations with different roles are working together aiming for succesful project results

UPCOCOA Project partners

ADM Cocoa B.V.
Institute for Sustainable Commodities (ISCOM)
Masterfoods B.V./ Mars Inc.
IITA/STCP (International Institute of Tropical Agriculture/ Sustainable Tree Crop Program)
UCCC (UPCOCOA Consortium of Cooperatives in Cameroon)
RIAS (a consultancy organisation within the Rabobank Group)

ADM Cocoa B.V.

Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) is one of the world’s largest agricultural processors of soybeans, corn, wheat and cocoa. They work with farmers across the world. In the UPCOCOA project ADM Cocoa advises the farmer organisations as to the development of effective marketing strategies and logistics. Furthermore, ADM Cocoa participates in the training of the cooperatives in areas such as product quality. For more information about ADM Cocoa click here.

Institute for Sustainable Commodities (ISCOM)

ISCOM operates as an independent NGO within the UPCOCOA project. It has adopted the concept of sustainable chain management a general approach to development problems and poverty reduction issues.
ISCOM has – together with ADM Cocoa – initiated the project and has written the project proposal. ISCOM is the project’s administrator and contributes to the execution of the project. The latter particularly involves project coordination, development of a Quality Management Handbook and writing of a few (scientific) articles. In April 2008 ISCOM handed over the project management to RIAS.
For more information about ISCOM click here.

Masterfoods B.V./Mars Inc.

As a maker of final cocoa products Masterfoods is close to the end-user market. In this way Masterfoods represents a major link in the cocoa chain. Masterfoods shares its expertise in the field of sustainable production methods based on research in different countries, as well as its experience and research in the field of quality improvement.
For more information about Masterfoods MV/Mars Inc. click here.

International Institute of Tropical Agriculture/ Sustainable Tree Crop Program (ITTA/STCP)

The IITA is a research and trainings institute on the development of agriculture in West Africa and poverty reduction It already has experience in the cocoa sector. The STCP started farmer field schools to train farmers how to run a good cocoa farm and increase productivity. The UPCOCOA project will benefit from this experience as well as from its present networks in Cameroon. Besides this, IITA/STCP has a wider interest in the way the farmers are organised and develop as effective organisations.
Click further for more information about IITA or STCP.

UPCOCOA Consortium of Cocoa Cooperatives in Cameroon (UCCC)

The UCCC consists of two representatives of all cooperatives that take part in the UPCOCOA project. Through the UCCC the farmer cooperatives participate in the project’s decision-making. The communication is interactive. The UCCC reflects the farmers’ point of view by means of a direct link with the project’s management while also communicating the project’s management decisions back to the farmer organisations.

RIAS (Rabo International Advisory Services)

RIAS is very experienced in the field of rural banking, cooperative development and agricultural chain development. Starting from April 2008 RIAS is the new project manager of the Upcocoa project. Besides that RIAS is the main adviser in the field of the institutional build-up of the farmer organisations. RIAS will also design and support the setting up a credit system for the cooperatives.
For more information about RIAS click here.