Professor William Coffie, Managing Director of the Cocoa Processing Company (CPC), has called on distributors and sellers of Golden Tree products to strictly adhere to proper handling and storage practices to safeguard product quality and uphold the company’s reputation.
He warned that improper handling, including exposure to pests, could compromise the safety and market value of the products.
Addressing the Tema Distributors Association of Golden Tree Products during CPC’s maiden engagement with the group, Prof. Coffie underscored the nutritional richness of Ghana‘s premium cocoa, which forms the base of all Golden Tree products.
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He encouraged distributors to support CPC’s drive toward increased domestic cocoa consumption through community sensitisation campaigns, stressing that such efforts would amplify public awareness of cocoa’s health benefits.
He noted that distributors are essential to CPC’s operations and highlighted several policy decisions aimed at repositioning the company for growth.
Among them is a new Board-approved 15-day credit policy designed to provide distributors with greater business flexibility, with possible concessions in exceptional circumstances. He urged distributors to balance their orders to ensure a stable supply and prevent shortages.
Prof. Coffie assured distributors of management’s commitment to strengthening collaboration and improving storage systems to eliminate challenges such as pest infestations that threaten chocolate quality.
He expressed appreciation for their continued loyalty and pledged to build a long-term partnership that benefits all value chain actors.
Madam Evelyn Ofosu Kunadu Yiadom, President of the Tema Distributors Association and Managing Director of KrysCharles Enterprise, urged members to intensify public education on the health and nutritional value of cocoa.
She said Golden Tree’s Royale brand offered superior health benefits compared to many competitors and emphasized that education campaigns in schools, markets, churches and other community settings remained vital to boosting sales and promoting brand trust.
Mrs Doris Annan of Cimthog Foods Enterprise raised concerns about the introduction of new CPC products without involving distributors in tasting and sampling.
She argued that as frontline actors who directly engage consumers, their feedback is critical to improving new product success. She called for deeper engagement to enhance policy formulation and data accuracy.
In an open forum, distributors highlighted issues requiring attention, including the need for stronger public advocacy on cocoa health benefits, price reductions, increased advertising, product shortages, customers buying directly from the factory, opportunities for church and institutional outreach, improved training on safe product handling and storage, and delayed responses to feedback and complaints.
