ECOOKIM

What ECOOKIM does

ECOOKIM (Union des Sociétés Coopératives Kimbe) is a Côte d'Ivoire-based cooperative union founded in 2004 and headquartered in Abidjan. It aggregates production from 30 member cooperatives representing more than 32,000 smallholder producers across cocoa and cashew value chains. The organization's primary commercial activity is the aggregation, certification, and direct export of sustainable cocoa beans to enterprise chocolate manufacturers in Europe and Asia, with buyers including Mars, Valrhona, Ferrero, Tony's Chocolonely, and Ritter Sport. Cocoa operations are supported by Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance, Organic, and USDA Organic certifications, with traceability and EU Deforestation Regulation compliance serving as core differentiators.

The business model is sales-led, combining direct commodity export contracts with sustainability-linked partnership programs (e.g., Mars's LEAP and THRIVE, Ferrero's Ecoogreen, Valrhona's Fond Solidaire) that co-finance farmer income, community infrastructure, and reforestation. Revenue streams include transactional export sales of cocoa beans, processed cashew kernels via the EcoCajou subsidiary (Odienné facility inaugurated June 19, 2024), and partner-funded program services. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and appears to be negotiated bilaterally with enterprise buyers, with Fairtrade and certification premiums layered on top of base commodity pricing.

In 2024 ECOOKIM extended vertically into cashew value-add processing through subsidiary EcoCajou, which invested 10.44 billion FCFA in an Odienné processing facility to convert raw cashew nuts into kernels for export. The union also operates an ecosystem of financial, certification, and implementation partners including Oikocredit, ResponsAbility, Incofin IM, ABC Fund, USAID, IFAD, Fairtrade Africa, Rainforest Alliance, and the International Cocoa Initiative, supporting member cooperatives through microfinance, training, and child labor monitoring systems. Leadership is concentrated in Director General Bamba Mamadou, who also serves as President Director General of EcoCajou and was elevated to Commandeur de l'Ordre du Mérite Agricole at SARA 2025.

Name

ECOOKIM

Legal name

UNION DES SOCIETES COOPERATIVES KIMBE

Website

https://ecookim.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

ECOOKIM is a Côte d'Ivoire-based cooperative union aggregating 32,000+ smallholder producers across 30 cooperatives to export certified sustainable cocoa and processed cashew to enterprise chocolate manufacturers in Europe and Asia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cocoa and Cashew Nuts

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (Fair Trade, Food Access, Regenerative) (BPAGALAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fair Trade & Ethical Supply Chains (Certification, Traceability, Producer Support) (BPAGALAL), Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (BPAGAGAI), Member-Owned Food Cooperatives (CRAHALAA)

Keywords

• Sustainable cocoa sourcing
• Fair trade cocoa beans
• Cashew nut processing
• Cooperative union aggregation
• Certified cocoa export

Headquarters

HQ city

Abidjan

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Cocoa Bean Export: Export of sustainable cocoa beans to chocolate manufacturers in Europe and Asia. Revenue generated from sale of certified cocoa compliant with Fairtrade, Rainforest, and organic standards.
2. Cashew Processing and Export: Processing and export of cashew nuts through subsidiary ECOCAJOU. The processing unit in Odienné transforms raw cashews into processed nuts for export markets.
3. Sustainable Sourcing Programs: Partnership programs with chocolate companies (Mars, Ferrero, Valrhona) that provide funding and support for sustainable production practices, community development, and farmer livelihood improvements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

ECOOKIM is a union of 30 agricultural cooperatives in Côte d'Ivoire representing 32,000+ producers that aggregates, certifies, and exports sustainably produced cocoa beans to chocolate manufacturers in Europe and Asia. Through its wholly owned subsidiary ECOCAJOU, the organization also processes raw cashew nuts into cashew kernels at a dedicated facility in Odienné for export markets. The cooperative supports farmer livelihoods, community infrastructure, agroforestry, and child labor prevention programs alongside its core cocoa and cashew trade activity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sustainably sourced certified cocoa beans Bulk cocoa beans aggregated from ECOOKIM's 30 member cooperatives and 32,000+ producers, certified to Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance, EU Organic, and USDA Organic standards, exported to international chocolate manufacturers in Europe and Asia.
• Processed cashew kernels (ECOCAJOU) Cashew kernels produced from raw cashew nuts processed at the ECOCAJOU facility in Odienné and exported to international buyers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5,000 producers + 36,000 household members to achieve sustainable living income by 2030 through LEAP program
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Mars WrigleycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 October 2022Mars Wrigley is a key strategic partner supporting the LEAP (Livelihood Ecosystem Advancement Program) targeting 5,000 producers and 36,000 household members. Mars also launched the THRIVE project in February 2025 supporting cocoa farmer sustainability and living income goals by 2030.
• ValrhonacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench chocolate manufacturer Valrhona provides direct partnership for sustainable cocoa sourcing. Valrhona's Fond Solidaire funds community infrastructure projects including water towers and school canteens in ECOOKIM cooperative areas.
• FerrerocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFerrero co-finances the Ecoogreen project with ECOOKIM, supporting reforestation efforts with tree planting and community forest restoration programs in cocoa-producing regions.
• Tony's ChocolonelycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDutch chocolate company Tony's Chocolonely has partnered with ECOOKIM since 2012 to develop a sustainable cocoa supply chain from inception.
• Fairtrade AfricacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFairtrade certification body and partner supporting ECOOKIM's fair trade cocoa production, farmer premiums, and LEAP program implementation.
• Rainforest AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormerly UTZ, provides certification for sustainable cocoa production aligned with ECOOKIM's environmental and social standards.
• International Cocoa Initiative (ICI)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerICI partners with ECOOKIM, Fairtrade, and Mars on child labor monitoring and remediation systems (SSRTE), training operational agents on child labor prevention.
• Ritter SportcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGerman chocolate company Ritter Sport established new partnership to source Rainforest Alliance certified cocoa from ECOOKIM cooperatives for upcoming production season.
• AVSFminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAgronomic and Solidarity Finance organization providing technical assistance for cocoa byproduct valorization and organic compost production.
• ECOMminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCommodity trading house partnering on sustainable cocoa sourcing through Ecoogreen project.
• Walter MatterminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSwiss sustainability partner facilitating connections between ECOOKIM cooperatives and chocolate buyers like Ritter Sport.
• Conseil Coton AnacardecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIvorian government regulatory body for cotton and cashew sectors. Collaboration strengthened at SARA 2025 for ECOCAJOU cashew processing and sector development.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kuapa Kokoo: Ghanaian cocoa farmer cooperative union supplying Fairtrade-certified cocoa to international chocolate manufacturers. Direct comparable as a West African smallholder cooperative union with similar sustainability certifications and export customer base.
• ECOM: Swiss-based commodity trader with significant cocoa and coffee sourcing in Côte d'Ivoire. Listed as a partner in ECOOKIM's Ecoogreen project and operates as a competing/cooperating cocoa supply chain aggregator in the same regions.
• Touton: French commodity trader specializing in cocoa, coffee, and other tropical commodities sourced from West Africa. Comparable as a sustainability-focused cocoa buyer/processor competing for similar supplier relationships.
• Socadec (Société Coopérative Agricole de Daloa): Ivorian cocoa cooperative aggregator sourcing from smallholder farmers. Direct comparable to ECOOKIM's member cooperatives as a peer cooperative structure operating in similar Côte d'Ivoire cocoa regions.

Broad incumbents

• Cargill: Global commodity trader and cocoa processor with significant Côte d'Ivoire sourcing operations. Overlaps with ECOOKIM as a buyer/processor of Ivorian cocoa but operates at vastly larger scale across multiple origins.
• Barry Callebaut: World's largest chocolate and cocoa manufacturer with deep West African sourcing. Comparable as a downstream buyer of ECOOKIM's cocoa and as a competing supplier of processed cocoa products.
• Olam Food Ingredients (ofi): Major cocoa and cashew processor with extensive West African operations. Comparable as both a competing supply chain aggregator and downstream buyer/processor in the cocoa and cashew value chains.

Regional players

• Kossam Société Coopérative (Côte d'Ivoire cooperatives network): West African dairy and agricultural cooperative network. Comparable to ECOOKIM as a regionally focused cooperative aggregation model, though operating in different commodities (dairy vs. cocoa/cashew).

Others

• Fairtrade Africa: Fairtrade certification body and producer support organization across Africa. Listed as a core strategic partner of ECOOKIM; comparable as a peer ecosystem organization supporting certified smallholder cooperatives.
• Rainforest Alliance: International sustainability certification body (formerly UTZ) certifying ECOOKIM's cocoa. Comparable as an enabling ecosystem partner that defines the certification standards ECOOKIM must meet.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ecookim

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ECOOKIM