Trade, Trust and Traceability in Action: Building Resilient Cocoa and Cashew Value Chain

From 1–4 February 2026, sixteen small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries – ten in cocoa and six in cashew – participated in the International Sweets and Snacks Fair (ISM) in Cologne. Their objective went beyond visibility: they aim to establish long-term, resilient trade partnerships with European buyers.

The participation was facilitated by the Business Support Facility for Resilient Agricultural Value Chains, in cooperation with sequa gGmbH through the Import Promotion Desk (IPD).

Cocoa and cashew are key strategic commodities for the European Union, particularly in light of increasing regulatory requirements on sustainability and traceability. Enabling ACP SMEs to meet these standards and access European markets is a critical lever for strengthening inclusive growth, improving value addition at origin, and enhancing resilience in agricultural value chains.

Preparation Turns Presence into Performance
Trade fairs such as ISM offer vast networking opportunities – but without structured preparation, SMEs risk limited results. Recognizing this, the Business Support Facility complemented exhibition space with targeted export-readiness support. To ensure companies got the most out of the trade fair, export-ready companies received tailored matchmaking and practical sales coaching so they could approach and engage European buyers with confidence and a clear strategy. In addition to pre-arranged matchmade b2b meetings, participating companies prepared their own targeted list of exhibitors whose profiles and product portfolios aligned with their business interests.

This structured preparation enabled companies to move from passive booth presence to proactive business engagement.

As one participant reflected:

“At the beginning it was a challenge for me to decide which companies could be interesting. The coaching helped me to make the right selection. I looked at all companies in the cashew sector and then differentiated: European companies are potential customers; from the non-European companies I can learn.” - Adeline Somda, SN Anatrans, Burkina Faso.

Another company highlighted how exposure to EU demand can drive upgrading at origin:

"By understanding the needs of the EU market, our company recognized an opportunity to expand beyond cocoa beans and diversify into cocoa butter, powder mass and other cocoa-derived products." - Helen Afere, Springboard, Nigeria.

Setting the stage for sustainable partnerships
A notable moment at the ISM was the visit of Anthony Brand, Officer in Charge, Department of Policies and Programmes at the OACPS. He officially opened the event at the IPD booth and encouraged SMEs to actively engage with buyers and other stakeholders.

“Make use of the diversity of stakeholders present at the fair. Go out, talk to potential buyers and build partnerships!”

He also explained that the Joint Action Business Support Facility for Resilient Agricultural Value Chains supports companies in attending ISM so they can meet buyers and real export opportunities for their products, “we want producers from ACP countries to be able to export to Europe and other areas of the world.”

Shifting Mindsets: From producer logic to buyer logic
One of the most important developments observed during ISM was a shift in perspective among participating SMEs. Many companies initially considered their certifications to be their main competitive advantage. However, in the European market, certifications are oftentimes just a basic entry level requirement, they don’t guarantee purchase agreements. Claims such as “sustainable” or “high quality” are commonly used without differentiation, which is why buyers are more interested in operational proof. Competitiveness in the EU market depends on clear traceability systems, transparent and reliable sourcing, evidence of consistent quality, and proactive communication of challenges.

Where partnerships begin:
Over the four-day fair, the 16 cocoa and cashew companies conducted 291 business-to-business meetings. This high number of structured engagements reflects strong buyer interest and concrete opportunities for long-term partnerships.

The ISM 2026 was therefore more than just a trade fair. It functioned as a kickstart for further growth and scaling for ACP SMEs, offering exposure, insights, and real connections with European buyers. With structured preparation, targeted coaching, and clear focus on operational proof, participating companies are now better equipped to build resilient value chains and lasting partnerships with European buyers, processors and manufacturers.

This engagement demonstrates how targeted export promotion – embedded within broader value chain development – can translate market access into long-term trust-based partnerships, enhance traceability systems and strengthen resilient agricultural value chains.

From Bean to Bar: Field visit to German chocolate manufacturers
Beyond the trade fair, ABF organised field visits that gave cocoa SMEs direct exposure to chocolate manufacturing in Germany, including visits to Nobis Printen, Coppeneur and KESSKO.

During these visits, participants explored premium chocolate production, quality standards and sustainability practices. These experiences deepened understanding of EU processing requirements, introduced SMEs to better processing and value-addition techniques and inspired potential partnerships with European manufacturers.

"𝑆𝑒𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑜𝑟𝑔𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑐 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑑𝑢𝑐𝑡𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑒𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑛𝑜𝑛-𝑜𝑟𝑔𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑐 𝑎𝑙𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑠 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑠. 𝐼𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑢𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑓𝑢𝑟𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑜𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑠 𝑜𝑟𝑔𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑐 𝑐𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑓𝑜𝑐𝑢𝑠 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑜𝑛 ℎ𝑖𝑔ℎ-𝑓𝑙𝑎𝑣𝑜𝑢𝑟, ℎ𝑖𝑔ℎ-𝑞𝑢𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑐𝑜𝑐𝑜𝑎.”  - Denise Karway, United Women for Sustainable Development, Liberia.

Supported through the Competitive Matching Grant Fund (MGF), the SMEs work towards sustainable, climate-resilient value chains, creating opportunities for rural communities and empowering women and youth. By enhancing skills, strengthening market access and fostering partnerships, GIZ helps transform the value chain, delivering impact locally and internationally. The companies supported to participate in the ISM fair included:

Cocoa SMEs – Lizard Earth Ltd. (Sierra Leone), Springboard Harvest Ventures Ltd. (Nigeria), FUPROCAT (Togo), Cooperative Amkeni Mkulima (DR Congo), Compagnie Des Produits Agricoles - COPARK (DR Congo), Bwamba Cooperative Union Ltd. (Uganda), United Women for Sutainable Development (Liberia), Kokoa Kamili Ltd. (Tanzania), Chambers Federation (Kenya) and COOPMATA (Dominican Republic).

Cashew SMEs – Vertex Agro Limited (Nigeria), CashewCoast (Côte d’Ivoire), Tolaro Global (Benin), AS Anatrans (Burkina), Akros Cashew (Tanzania) and Equatorial Nut Processors (Kenya).

Institutional framework:
The Joint Action “Business Support Facility for Resilient Agricultural Value Chains” is implemented by the GIZ projects Agri-Business Facility for Africa (ABF) and MOVE-ComCashew and co-funded by the European Union under the Samoa agreement with the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States and the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).