Cocoa
Côte d’Ivoire grows 40% of the world’s cocoa, making it the top producing country globally.
ofi established a cocoa trading business in CDI in 1997, today we have the largest procurement network for sustainable cocoa in the country and are the second-largest exporter of cocoa by volume.
We are a member of the Cocoa Livelihoods Programme and the African Cocoa Initiative, and a founding member of Cocoa Action to promote productivity and develop communities. In addition to the support of communities, we also seek to protect the environment, as such we are one of the 12 signatories of the Cocoa and Forests anti-deforestation agreement coordinated by WCF.
Our extensive infrastructure includes five bean cleaning and bagging facilities and 16 warehouses. We have two state-of-the-art grinding facilities, one in San Pedro and one in Abidjan, producing cocoa liquor, butter, and cake.
Read more about our global cocoa business here, and our Cocoa Compass which maps our sustainability goals and activities here.
Cashew
Côte d’Ivoire has quadrupled its crop size to 700,000 MT in the last 10 years, making it the largest cashew producing and exporting country in Africa. It is also one of the largest suppliers of Organic and Fairtrade cashew kernels in the world.
Established in 1994, our cashew business is the market leader for trading. Our supplier base exceeds 35,500 partner farmers and 200 traders, of which 31,000 are supported through sustainability programmes. We have pioneered linking farmers to a guaranteed market and improving traceability for our customers with the support of our in-house digital team.
Our infrastructure includes 3 processing facilities in Bouaké, Dimbokro and Djekanou which provide jobs to more than 4,000 workers (of whom more than 70% are women), two factories, 12 satellite units, 15 warehouses, and nine offices. Our “Sustainable Cashew Growers Programme” links farmers from over 350 villages to the factories and has been a 2013 finalist at the Guardian Sustainable Business awards in the supply chain category.
Read more about our global cashew business here, and our sustainability initiatives here.
Coffee
Through our strong trading network, we buy around a third of the country’s 120,000 MT of Robusta and are the largest exporters to North Africa, Europe and Asia.
One of our desired sustainability outcomes is to help farmers and food systems prosper. Our supplier base includes approximately 13,000 partner farmers and 144 cooperatives, many of whom receive direct farmer training from ofi.
In addition, we have launched a project to rejuvenate the coffee plantations and distributed over 2,000 hectares of high-yielding coffee seedlings, 60% of which are productive. We finance post-harvest infrastructure including 120 hulling machines.
We are the first 4C-verified coffee exporter in Côte d’Ivoire - an independent verification that our supply chain is sustainable.
Our infrastructure includes a factory, seven warehouses and marketing offices, and two laboratories.
Read ofi news
ofi marks dairy-focused milestone moment in line with strategy to build a value-added ingredients and solutions-led organization
- Expands plant facility & strengthens capabilities of Ingredient Excellence Center in Malaysia
- Plant now delivers significantly enhanced production capabilities for functional dairy ingredients
- New category labs with state-of-the-art R&D equipment for customizable food and beverage solutions
ofi, a global leader in naturally good food and beverage ingredients, has increased its ingredient manufacturing footprint by adding significant capacity to its dairy production facility in Johor, Malaysia with the commissioning of a new milk powder dryer, whilst also expanding its integrated dairy Ingredient Excellence Center (“IEC”), servicing customers across the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
ofi shares milestone on supporting farmer livelihoods to mark International Coffee Day
Ahead of International Coffee Day on 1st October, olam food ingredients (“ofi”), a global leader in naturally good food & beverage ingredients, announces that it has achieved more than half of its target to improve the livelihoods of 200,000 coffee farmers by 2025. The results are reported in its second Coffee LENS (Livelihoods, Education and Nature at Scale) sustainability impact report.
The report details the achievements made by ofi’s coffee platform in collaboration with customers and partners across 44 projects with a total funding commitment of over $50 million. Launched in 2020, ofi's Coffee LENS sustainability strategy lays out their comprehensive 2025 goals within a four-pillar framework: economic opportunity, education and skills training, climate action and healthy ecosystems. Through this strategy, ofi aims to create a more resilient supply chain and safeguard the future of coffee.
Despite challenges throughout 2022, including various supply chain disruptions, the ongoing war in Ukraine, and adverse weather effecting crops, ofi is progressing well towards creating a more resilient supply chain by making impact at the intersection of farmer livelihoods and the environment.
Employee Spotlight: Pam Elliott, Quality and Food Safety Manager, North America
Pam Elliot has made it her mission to maintain and/or improve the quality of the products she has been entrusted with, since she first graduated college. When the opportunity arose for her to try her hand at food safety, she was up for the challenge. Learn more about her journey.
Your full name: Pam Elliott
Your city and country (i.e. London, United Kingdom): Bolingbrook, Ill. United States
Your job title: Quality & Food Safety (QFS) Manager
Your functional area (i.e. Finance): Quality
Q: How long have you been at ofi? (years): 4 years on October 7th
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