Omanhene Cocoa Bean Company
Encyclopedia
Omanhene Cocoa Bean Company is a chocolate company headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
, USA. Omanhene is famous for the milk chocolate that they produce. All of Omanhene's chocolate beans come from the lush forests in Ghana. The difference between Omanhene's chocolate from their competitor (according to their website) is that all Omanhene's chocolate bars are made and processed in Ghana
, whereas other major competitors to buy the beans from a tropical country and ship them to countries like Canada
or the United States
to process and make chocolate bars.
for three months in 1978. However, at the age of 29 (in 1991), he returned to Ghana and then started a chocolate business. The name Omanhene in the Twi language, means the "Paramount Chief".
Omanhene chocolate is a single source chocolate, using only beans from smaller family farmers in Ghana. It produces the chocolate in the same factory where the beans are processed into the main ingredients of chocolate (cocoa butter, cocoa liquor, and cocoa powder). Because of this, their chocolate has the opportunity to be made into a shelf stable finished product much sooner - without the degradation of ingredients that occur when cocoa liquor is stored and transported for months prior to being used to make finished chocolate. Although the product is not organic, beans from Ghana, due to the shade grown trees, and family sized farms, are claimed by the company to have a healthier profile with the strong likelihood of less pesticide having been used than in larger cocoa plantations common in other countries.
The factory workers and family farmers have a stake in the Omanhene Cocoa Bean Company.
The company was an early adopter of the UN Global Compact, and has been commented favourably on by the slow food movement in the USA.
The company in addition to its normal products have an 80% cocoa solids Extra Dark Chocolate that is suitable for those who wish to use chocolate as a nutraceutical, for the health benefits found in cocoa liquor.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, USA. Omanhene is famous for the milk chocolate that they produce. All of Omanhene's chocolate beans come from the lush forests in Ghana. The difference between Omanhene's chocolate from their competitor (according to their website) is that all Omanhene's chocolate bars are made and processed in Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
, whereas other major competitors to buy the beans from a tropical country and ship them to countries like Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
or the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to process and make chocolate bars.
History
The Omanhene Cocoa Bean Company was founded in 1991 by Steven C. Wallace and his brother, Jonathan. Steven was an AFS high school student and lived in GhanaGhana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
for three months in 1978. However, at the age of 29 (in 1991), he returned to Ghana and then started a chocolate business. The name Omanhene in the Twi language, means the "Paramount Chief".
Omanhene chocolate is a single source chocolate, using only beans from smaller family farmers in Ghana. It produces the chocolate in the same factory where the beans are processed into the main ingredients of chocolate (cocoa butter, cocoa liquor, and cocoa powder). Because of this, their chocolate has the opportunity to be made into a shelf stable finished product much sooner - without the degradation of ingredients that occur when cocoa liquor is stored and transported for months prior to being used to make finished chocolate. Although the product is not organic, beans from Ghana, due to the shade grown trees, and family sized farms, are claimed by the company to have a healthier profile with the strong likelihood of less pesticide having been used than in larger cocoa plantations common in other countries.
The factory workers and family farmers have a stake in the Omanhene Cocoa Bean Company.
The company was an early adopter of the UN Global Compact, and has been commented favourably on by the slow food movement in the USA.
The company in addition to its normal products have an 80% cocoa solids Extra Dark Chocolate that is suitable for those who wish to use chocolate as a nutraceutical, for the health benefits found in cocoa liquor.