28/08/2026
Cocoa farmers and traders good news with a warning attached, and a name worth knowing.
Global cocoa prices have shot up to historic highs because West Africa, the world's biggest cocoa region, has been hit hard by disease and bad weather. Uganda's cocoa earnings have jumped almost 90% in under two years because of it.
Here's the warning: this won't last. Once West Africa recovers, prices will likely fall the same way coffee prices rallied and then dropped sharply this year. If we're only selling raw beans when that happens, our earnings fall with them.
The smarter move is processing locally, and it's already happening right here in Kampala. Aadrea Essential Oils SMC Ltd turns cocoa into powder, mass, butter, and nibs using clean CO2 extraction and cold-press methods 100% organic, with no inorganic substances added anywhere in the process.
Prices this good don't come around often. Processors building real capacity now are the ones who'll still be earning well after the price cycle turns.