Cocoa production in São Tomé and Príncipe

Cocoa is the primary cash crop of the West African island country of São Tomé and Príncipe, accounting for 95% of its exports. Historically, the volume of cocoa produced, and consequently the health of the São Toméan economy, has revolved around the global demand for chocolate. European demand for chocolate rose shortly after the introduction of the cocoa tree (Theobroma cacao) to São Tomé and Príncipe in 1824, solidifying the crop's agricultural primacy on the islands. In the early 1900s, São Tomé and Príncipe was known as "the Chocolate Islands", producing and exporting more cocoa than anywhere else in the world. However, cocoa production declined throughout the 20th century due to a combination of corporate boycotts, infestations, and government attempts to diversify the economy. A number of national and international initiatives have been undertaken since the turn of the 21st century to revitalize cocoa production in São Tomé and Príncipe, as the islands' equatorial climate provides an ideal environment for the growth of cocoa.

Introduction of cocoa and boom years


The cocoa tree was introduced to São Tomé and Príncipe by Portuguese colonial administrators seeking a profitable cash crop for their colony. The islands' forests were first cleared in the 16th century for sugarcane plantations, and, through the use of slave labour, the colony became the largest producer of sugar in the world. However, competition from the other Portuguese colony of Brazil diminished profits, and by the end of the century the colony's primary purpose had become to temporarily house African slaves being transported to the Americas. Hoping to generate more income from the colony, the colonial administrators introduced the coffee plant (Coffea) in 1780 and the cocoa tree in 1819. However, the cocoa tree did not fully grow on the islands until 1824, on Príncipe. Cocoa proved to be the more profitable crop, as global demand for it gradually increased throughout the century. By the early 1900s, São Tomé and Príncipe had become the world's top producer and exporter of cocoa, and the colony became known as "the Chocolate Islands". The United Kingdom's three largest chocolate makers at the time – J. S. Fry & Sons, Rowntree's, and the Cadbury Brothers – all sourced their cocoa primarily from São Tomé and Príncipe.

Slave labour and indentured servitude were used to produce cocoa during this period of growth and prosperity. Portugal abolished slavery in its colonies in 1869, when the United Kingdom and United States signed a treaty to jointly suppress the slave trade. Europeans and most Forros (freed slaves and their descendants) refused to work in the labour-intensive cocoa plantations. As a result, Portuguese colonial authorities turned to the African mainland for a replacement labour force. Between 1888 and 1908, an estimated 67,000 Africans were hired to work on cocoa plantations in São Tomé and Príncipe; contemporary sources recorded a few cases of forced recruitment. Nearly all of them came from the other Portuguese colonies in Africa – Angola, Mozambique, and Cape Verde. The new workers became serviçias, contract labourers who earned low wages and possessed few rights.



Serviçias worked and lived in roças, large-scale plantations that functioned as self-sufficient company towns. Roças had chapels, hospitals, schools, stores, and workers' housing. These buildings were typically built around a plaza used for daily roll call and drying cocoa beans, among other activities. During the early 1900s, male serviçias received a monthly salary of around 2,500 reis (about US$2.50) per month, while female serviçias received just 1,800 reis. Because every store on the island was company-owned, nearly all wages paid to the serviçias went back to plantation owners. Alcoholism and tropical diseases, particularly malaria, were also widespread in the roças.

Decline in production
By 1910, cocoa production in São Tomé and Príncipe had entered a steep decline due to boycotts from British and German chocolate manufacturers, who had become aware of the slave-like working conditions of the roças. The global revelation made it difficult for plantation owners to attract new workers and buyers. Insects, fungal diseases, and the swollen shoot virus destroyed poorly maintained fields of cocoa in the 1910s and 1920s. A plague of thrips in 1919 was particularly devastating to that year's cocoa harvest. By 1935, most buildings and equipment in roças had been abandoned or repurposed to grow crops to sustain the islands' population. By the early 1940s, cocoa production per hectare had fallen well below that of other West African countries. Nonetheless, São Tomé and Príncipe continued to produce modest quantities of cocoa until its independence from Portugal on 12 July 1975.

The new Marxist–Leninist government of independent São Tomé and Príncipe hoped to diversify the economy by nationalizing the roças and centrally planning the production of cocoa. However, this caused a mass exodus of experienced managers, who were replaced by less knowledgeable government workers. As a result, between 1975 and 1987, cocoa production fell from 10,000 tonnes to 3,900 tonnes per year and many roças fell into disrepair or were abandoned altogether. Financial assistance from the World Bank in the 1980s and a transition to a free market economy in 1990 failed to rejuvenate cocoa production on the islands. A 1998 slump in cocoa prices further reduced production, and by the turn of the century most cocoa farmers were producing the crop merely to maintain their property rights. São Tomé and Príncipe's leaders subsequently declared that "the era of cocoa ha[d] ended".

Revitalization attempts


São Toméan cocoa producers of the 21st century have gradually shifted their focus to promoting the quality of their product. A number of cocoa farmers have oriented their operations towards the production of fair trade cocoa, that is, cocoa grown without the use of fertilizers and herbicides. These efforts have earned São Toméan cocoa praise for its organoleptic quality, with 30% of its supply being classified in the category of "fine cocoa" (no defects) or "flavour cocoa" (few defects). Cadbury, Divine Chocolate, and François Pralus are among the chocolate manufacturers which purchase fair trade cocoa from São Tomé and Príncipe.

A number of bean-to-bar chocolate manufacturers have been established in São Tomé and Príncipe to produce chocolate bars locally. In 2019, the tourist company HBD Príncipe built a chocolate factory on the former site of Roça Sundy, once the second largest roça in Príncipe. In 2023, CECAB (short for Cooperativa de Exportação de Cacau Biológico; ), the country's largest cocoa producer, built a chocolate factory in the town of Guadalupe, 12 km north of the capital São Tomé. The project, which cost over 450,000 euros, was supported by the São Toméan government and funded in part by the African Development Bank.

Growing regions
São Tomé and Príncipe's equatorial climate makes it a prime location for the growth of cocoa. The cocoa tree was first grown successfully on the island of Príncipe in 1824. A dormant volcano, Príncipe is particularly well-suited for the cocoa tree because of its volcanic soil. Cocoa plantations cover 25,000 ha of the island of São Tomé, mainly in its northern and central areas.

Production and exports
Cocoa is an integral part of the São Toméan economy, making up 95% of the country's exports. In 2017, cocoa production in the country reached 3,550 tonnes, representing 0.1% of the global supply that year. This generated an estimated gross value added of 178 million dobras, or approximately 7.2 million euros at the time.

The country's largest cocoa producer is CECAB, short for the Cooperativa de Exportação de Cacau Biológico, or the "Organic Cocoa Export Cooperative" in English. Founded in 2004, it is a cooperative of 37 smallholders' associations which sell organic cocoa to Kaoka, a high-end, French chocolate manufacturer.