Divine Chocolate (DIVINE), established by a Ghanian cooperative of cocoa farmers KUAPA, has been at the forefront of ethical confectionary business since its foundation in 1998. With Fairtrade-certified practices and top-quality chocolate at its heart, today DIVINE holds over 25 registered trademarks in the EU and several other countries from the UK and the US to Australia and Japan.
KUAPA’s membership has also grown to over 100,000 farmers, who are deeply involved in community organization, Fair Trade income, and the prospects of DIVINE.
KUAPA: empowering Ghanaian cocoa farmers
Divine Chocolate’s history starts with Kuapa Kokoo (KUAPA), or “good cocoa farmer” in the Ghanaian language of Twi, – a cooperative of cocoa farmers in Ghana founded in 1993 following the liberalization of the Ghanaian economy. Initially formed by around 2,000 small-scale farmers, KUAPA aimed to shield its members from the fluctuations of international cocoa prices and improve their socio-economic conditions. The cooperative places strong emphasis on sustainable production, women’s inclusion in decision-making, and improving the overall well-being of its farmers.
By 2024, KUAPA’s membership has grown to over 100,000 farmers representing over 57 co-operative societies spanning 71 districts in Ghana. The cooperative had successfully increased the quantity and quality of cocoa sales in Ghana and improved the farmers' incomes, while investing in community projects such as water wells, medical programs, and educational initiatives.
Divine Chocolate: a company created by the farmers
Over the years, KUAPA has established the Kuapa Kokoo Farmers Union (KKFU), the Kuapa Kokoo Limited (KKL) – a licensed cocoa-buying company, the Kuapa Kokoo Farmers Trust (KKFT) to handle the premiums from international cocoa sales, and the Day Chocolate Company in the UK. This company, supported by partners like Twin Trading, The Body Shop, and Christian Aid, launched the world’s first farmer-owned Fair Trade chocolate bar, Divine Chocolate. Over time, KUAPA's share in the company grew, and in 2006, The Body Shop transferred its shares to KUAPA, solidifying the farmers' control over the venture. In 2007, the company renamed itself Divine Chocolate Ltd, aligning with its flagship product.
Today KUAPA’s share of DIVINE has dropped down to 20%, however, the company confirmed that the farmers still represent 40% of the board influence.
Building a brand with a strong stand on ethics
Divine Chocolate built its brand around the principles of quality, equity, and fairness by obtaining Fair Trade certification for all its products. To raise awareness, Divine launched high-profile campaigns in collaboration with charities, organizations, and UK celebrities. These efforts gained the company national attention and secured partnerships with major supermarkets.
Divine particularly focused on young consumers, engaging them through community-based campaigns such as the launch of the Dubble chocolate brand. The CHOCOL8 conference was a key moment where children from Ghana, whose parents were Kuapa Kokoo farmers, visited the UK to share their experiences with local schoolchildren. This interaction bridged cultural divides and inspired UK youth to support Fair Trade, strengthening Divine’s ethical brand presence.
Divine also leveraged these campaigns to influence policymakers. Following the CHOCOL8 conference, thousands of children’s signatures were presented to the UK government, advocating for Fair Trade. This grassroots activism, coupled with Divine’s efforts to introduce Kuapa Kokoo women farmers to the UK public and parliament, helped the company solidify its ethical brand image.
The company continued to innovate its branding by incorporating traditional West African Adinkra symbols (before 2021) and expanding its product offerings, including adding Fair Trade sugar from Malawi (2013-2023).
DIVINE’s trademarks: protecting the ethical brand image
As a company with a carefully developed brand image, DIVINE is keen to secure its intellectual property (IP) assets to keep its customer loyalty and enable future commercialization opportunities.
At its very inception in 1998, the company applied for trademarks for the slogans: “Divine Heavenly Milk Chocolate with a Heart”™ and “A Fair Deal for Cocoa Growers”™ in its largest market – the European Union (EU) – at the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (OHIM). A figurative mark with the colors gold, white, pink, red, orange, blue and green was also registered.
In 2005, expanding its business to the US, DIVINE filed a trademark for DIVINE™ at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). In the same year, DIVINE was filed as a word and figurative trademark in the EU via the intellectual property office (IPO) of the UK.
In order to protect its new brands and catch-phrases, in 2008 the company filed a trademark for the word mark “DIVINE” and the phrase “Heavenly Chocolate with a Heart”, also at the USPTO.
By 2024, Divine had developed a range of 33 products across UK & US markets, becoming a major player in the UK chocolate market with such brands as Divine Fair Trade Milk Chocolate, Divine After Dinner Mints and Divine Drinking Chocolate. Because of the high quality of Ghana’s chocolate, the Darkly Divine 70% cocoa brand has achieved respectable market share in the 70-80% cocoa solids block segment.
Given DIVINE’s creative branding efforts and the importance it gives to the company image, protecting its IP assets seemed not just a good practice, but a strategic decision for the company’s growth.
DIVINE growth benefits farmers in Ghana
KUAPA farmers have enjoyed the benefits of DIVINE’s growth. In August of 2007, the company announced its first dividends (payment to share-holders) and the co-op’s members shared in the profits.
KUAPA farmers not only succeeded in launching a chocolate brand in the UK; they also set a new standard for ethical business practices around the world. In acknowledgement of the company’s equitable business model, in 2008 DIVINE was named Best Ethical Business by The Observer newspaper, a renowned publication in the UK. Since then, the company has received many awards, including the Trader of the Year during the 2020 International Faretrade Awards. Divine has also been B-Corporation certified since 2016, with an overall B Impact Score of 130.4 (with 50.9 being the average score for businesses assessed).
