May 25th 2025.
Zaina Gohou, a model from the Ivory Coast and Germany, is taking a stand against the exploitative practices of the global chocolate industry with her new company, Zacao. In a recent op-ed for Teen Vogue, Gohou shares her personal connection to the issue as her grandfather was a cacao farmer. She explains how Zacao sources beans directly from farmers in West Africa, aiming to put an end to the long-standing human rights abuses and environmental destruction that have been plaguing the industry.
While the World Cocoa Foundation was created in 2000, a report by The Guardian in January 2023 revealed that labor abuses, including child labor, are still prevalent in cocoa supply chains. This is due to the industry's reliance on cheap labor and the pursuit of profit by major corporations such as Nestlé, Mars, and Hershey, while African farmers suffer the consequences.
Bill Guyton, a former president of the World Cocoa Foundation and now a senior advisor to the Fine Chocolate Industry Association, believes that the only way to stop the exploitation of African farmers is to address the root of the problem. He explains that the current system is resistant to change and would require a new way of trading and compensating farmers.
Zacao is attempting to do just that by creating a model based on equity, transparency, and a rejection of the colonial legacy embedded in the chocolate trade. Gohou, who never intended to become a model, was inspired to create change after witnessing the stark disparity between the wealthy fashion industry and the struggling cocoa farmers back home in West Africa. Despite being responsible for producing the wealth of a $130 billion industry, these farmers couldn't even afford to send their children to school or have access to clean drinking water.
The creation of Zacao was no easy feat for Gohou, but she refused to compromise on her standards. The chocolate must be clean, plant-based, and organic, and each step of the process must be transparent. Zacao's chocolate is produced entirely in Ghana, which may come as a surprise to some, but to Gohou, it makes perfect sense as Ghanaians have been making chocolate for generations.
Gohou firmly believes that Africa is not just a source of raw materials but also a place where extraordinary chocolate can be made by the people who have been cultivating the beans for generations. Through Zacao, she hopes to empower and uplift the workers in the industry. The company partners with over 250 family-run farms in Ghana, paying each farmer $600 per ton of chocolate produced. This not only helps to create a source of highly skilled labor but also supports the local economy and promotes economic prosperity for the workers.
As Gohou continues to pave the way for change within the chocolate industry, she also encourages other young entrepreneurs to follow in her footsteps. She believes that when passion is the driving force behind a business that genuinely helps people and the planet, success will naturally follow. Gohou dreams of a future where farmers are fairly compensated, can send their children to school, have access to clean drinking water, and thrive because of a growing local economy. Ultimately, it is the impact on the workers that she hopes to achieve through Zacao.
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