In M’Brimbo, in the lush Agnéby-Tiassa region of Côte d’Ivoire, the Société Coopérative Équitable du Bandama (SCEB) brings together 366 producers, including 57 women, who have taken the plunge into organic farming. But there is no shortage of challenges.
From modest beginnings to an organic model
It all began in 2008 with 34 producers, 28 men and 6 women, in central-western Côte d’Ivoire. In 2010, thanks to the support of Inades-formation Côte d’Ivoire (a local NGO) and Ethiquable, the SCEB exported its first 13.66 tonnes of organic cocoa. This was followed by Ecocert, Fair for Life, Organic Agriculture and SPP certifications.
Today, with 366 members, the cooperative produces around 460 tonnes of organic cocoa per year, of which 200 to 250 tonnes are sold under contract to Ethiquable, and aims to produce 500 to 1,000 tonnes by 2030. ‘Organic farming wasn’t an obvious choice at first, but we quickly realised that it could change our lives while protecting our land,’ says Marc Tanouh, the cooperative’s director.
To guarantee quality and ethics, SCEB relies on an internal control system (ICS), with a monitoring committee and agents who check each plot. This system ensures that there is no child labour and that wooded areas are respected. For the past seven years, all plots have been mapped, a first step in meeting the requirements of the European Regulation on Deforestation (RDUE), which will come into force in December 2025.
The TDC, an ally for growth
Between 2017 and 2022, Enabel’s Trade for Development Centre (TDC) supported SCEB with €26,990.36 in funding, which transformed its practices and visibility. Thanks to this support, the cooperative equipped 50 producers with fermentation boxes, worth 50,000 CFA francs each, to improve the quality of the beans, and provided biofertilisers to increase productivity.
At the same time, training in financial and organisational management strengthened staff skills, while accounting software, used by the accountant, cashier and storekeeper, facilitated the traceability of cocoa bags. ‘This software helps us to track the weight delivered by each producer, even if the network connection is sometimes unreliable,’ says Marc Tanouh.
On the international market, the TDC has opened doors by preparing the SCEB for BiOFACH in 2020, the largest organic farming fair in Europe. Thanks to coaching from Jean Cornet, who taught producers how to approach customers and overcome language barriers, and funding for leaflets, translations and stands, the cooperative has established contacts with European chocolate makers. ‘Without Jean and the TDC, we would have been lost at BIOFACH,’ admits Marc Tanouh. These efforts have enabled SCEB to diversify its sales to other buyers, notably SACO and OCEAN, albeit at a low price. The volume of organic and fair trade cocoa marketed and exported to Europe by SCEB has increased from 100 tonnes in 2018 to 350 tonnes in 2025, making it a model in organic cocoa.
In 2021, with the support of TDC and Ethiquable, SCEB inaugurated a tasting laboratory, a rarity in Côte d’Ivoire, allowing producers to taste samples to guarantee chocolate flavours. ‘It guarantees beans with perfect aromas. We taste each sample to be sure to satisfy our customers,’ says Marc Tanouh.
Since 2025, the TDC has been focusing on sustainability coaching to help the SCEB meet environmental requirements, such as those of the RDUE, while consolidating its practices.
Ethiquable, a partner that changes lives
The partnership with Ethiquable, a French chocolatier committed to fair trade, is a driving force for SCEB. Each year, Ethiquable purchases 200 to 250 tonnes of cocoa, offering organic and fair trade premiums well above the prices set by the Coffee and Cocoa Board.
These premiums first enable producers to earn a vital income, then to purchase agricultural tools, finance medical care, school loans and even contribute to the construction of the village dispensary and two teachers’ houses in M’Brimbo. Ethiquable’s visits, which were regular before COVID and are now annual, reinforce this bond built on trust and quality.
Challenges ahead
Despite its successes, SCEB faces significant obstacles. Organic certification now costs between 5 and 10 million CFA francs per year, a heavy burden for the cooperative. The 100 to 150 tonnes of surplus cocoa not absorbed by Ethiquable are struggling to find buyers in a competitive organic market.
Land insecurity persists, even though a new Ivorian law assigns trees to producers, strengthening their rights.
Finally, traceability, required by the EUDR, European Regulation (EU) 2018/848 on deforestation, and the African regional standard ARS1000, is not easy to implement. Compliance poses major challenges for organic cooperatives. Each 65 kg bag must be tracked until export, in containers of 385 bags. A recent sustainability coaching session led by Enabel highlighted the urgent need to upgrade SCEB’s operations, in particular by replacing its manual traceability processes with dedicated software to ensure full transparency. This strategic support also highlighted the need for SCEB to strengthen communication with its members to ensure their buy-in and to diversify its outlets beyond its long-standing partner, Ethiquable, in order to better promote its entire organic production. The implementation of the resulting action plan, focused on improving producer loyalty and obtaining additional certifications such as Fairtrade, marks a decisive step towards ensuring the cooperative’s resilience and growth in an increasingly demanding international market.
Payments for environmental services
SCEB has just signed a subsidy agreement as part of the European Union’s sustainable cocoa project implemented by Enabel. This subsidy will enable SCEB to participate in Nitidæ’s ‘Payment for Environmental Services’ (PES) programme, which aims to encourage organic cocoa producers to preserve the indigenous vegetation on their plots by offering them financial incentives. This system, developed in partnership with Ethiquable, is part of an approach to traceability and compliance with the environmental commitments of the cocoa sector.
Despite the challenges, the SCEB’s commitment to quality, fair trade and sustainability makes it an example to follow in Côte d’Ivoire.
