FarmStrong Foundation

What FarmStrong Foundation does

FarmStrong Foundation is a Swiss Public Interest Foundation established in 2016 and headquartered in Epalinges, Switzerland, with a permanent operational team and regional office in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. The foundation delivers integrated rural economic development programs to smallholder cocoa-farming communities, combining agricultural productivity, environmental restoration, community health, women's empowerment, and child protection interventions into a single holistic model. Its program portfolio includes StrongWoods (indigenous tree nurseries and reforestation), Eave Tubes malaria vector control, the Community Child Protection System (CCPS), Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs), greenhouse vegetable production for women, satellite-based land use monitoring, GPS-based land delimitation, and a PCR CC1 cocoa traceability platform.

The foundation is donor-funded rather than commercially priced, with revenue derived from grants and contributions from major chocolate industry players (Ferrero, Nestlé, Lindt & Sprüngli, Blommer, Hershey's, ALDI, Guittard, S&D Sucden) and institutional partners (SECO, GIZ, UNEP, Rabobank, Rainforest Alliance, UNICEF). Programmatic reach cited in public materials includes 1,909,791 tree seedlings distributed over seven years across farms, classified forests, and biodiversity enclosures; 30,000 Eave Tubes installed across 3,500 houses in 20 villages around Bouaké; 99 VSLAs in 52 communities; and 769 women active in greenhouse production. Technology components include proprietary PCR CC1 traceability software, satellite imagery with LiDAR, W3W/GPS geolocation, and the CCPS monitoring system.

The operating model relies on 18 permanent field staff in Côte d'Ivoire led by Country Director Françoise Konaya Touré, three Switzerland-based staff, and Executive Director Michiel Hendriksz, supported by a board including President André D'Azevedo and Honorary Treasurer Marc Parren. The foundation coordinates with Ivorian government bodies (Conseil Café Cacao, ANADER, MINEF, SODEFOR, OIPR) and participates as an NGO board member of the Swiss Platform for Sustainable Cocoa, with the SECO/UNEP-backed Green Nawa Initiative as a flagship multi-year landscape restoration program in the Nawa region.

Name

FarmStrong Foundation

Legal name

FarmStrong Foundation

Website

https://farmstrong-foundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

FarmStrong Foundation is a Swiss nonprofit founded in 2016 that delivers integrated rural development programs — agroforestry, malaria control, child protection, financial inclusion, and cocoa traceability — for smallholder cocoa-farming communities in Côte d'Ivoire, funded by major chocolate industry and institutional donors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainable Rural Development and Cocoa Sustainability Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Crop Production (11511), Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Sustainable Agriculture, Food Systems & Land Management (BPADALAG), Agriculture & Food Security Development (BPAGABAB), Agriculture, Food Security & Nutrition Technical Assistance (BPADAEAG)

Keywords

• Sustainable cocoa farming
• Rural economic development
• Agroforestry programs
• Smallholder farmer support
• Community development initiatives

Headquarters

HQ city

Epalinges

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Foundation Donations and Grants: FarmStrong Foundation is a Swiss Public Interest Foundation that operates through donations and grants from chocolate companies, government agencies, and international organizations. Major donors include Ferrero, Nestlé, Lindt & Sprüngli, Blommer, Hershey's, and ALDI.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

FarmStrong Foundation is a Swiss public interest foundation that delivers donor-funded integrated rural development programs to smallholder cocoa-farming communities in Côte d'Ivoire. Its portfolio combines Good Agricultural Practices training, agroforestry and indigenous tree planting (StrongWoods), women's financial inclusion via VSLAs, greenhouse vegetable production, malaria vector control through Eave Tubes, child labour remediation (CCPS/CLMRS), and a proprietary PCR CC1 cocoa traceability system with satellite/GPS/LiDAR monitoring. Programs are provided free of charge to beneficiaries and funded by chocolate industry partners and institutional donors.

Product overview

FarmStrong Foundation is a Swiss Public Interest Foundation established in 2016 that operates integrated rural development programs focused on cocoa-producing communities in Côte d'Ivoire. The organization does not offer a commercial software product but rather implements a portfolio of interconnected programs including: StrongWoods (indigenous tree planting and reforestation), Eave Tubes (malaria vector control using insecticide-treated mosquito traps), VSLA (village savings and loans associations for women's financial inclusion), greenhouse vegetable production for income generation, satellite-based environmental monitoring, GPS land delimitation services, and a cocoa traceability system using PCR CC1 software. The programs are designed holistically, combining agricultural productivity, environmental restoration, community health, women's empowerment, and child protection interventions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• StrongWoods: Community tree nursery initiative involving young people and women in villages to generate jobs and income through indigenous forest tree production and distribution.

Products and services

• StrongWoods Tree Planting Program StrongWoods is an indigenous tropical tree planting initiative that produces and distributes forest-tree seedlings through community nurseries operated with local authorities, women and youth, supporting reforestation and agroforestry on and off cocoa farms in Côte d'Ivoire.
• Eave Tubes Malaria Vector Control Program Eave Tubes is a malaria vector control program in which insecticide-treated tubes are installed in farmer houses to reduce mosquito populations and malaria transmission, targeting rural farming families in Côte d'Ivoire.
• Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLA) VSLA is a community microfinance program that enables rural women to save money, access small loans, and start income-generating activities, including financial literacy and business development support.
• Greenhouse Vegetable Production Program Greenhouse vegetable production equips rural women's associations with greenhouses, drip irrigation, and substrate-based cultivation using cocoa residues as fertilizer to grow tomatoes, chilies and cucumbers for income generation and food security.
• Community Child Protection System (CCPS) CCPS is a systemic community-centred approach that identifies and addresses root causes of child labour by strengthening social support systems, improving access to health, hygiene and nutrition, and ensuring civil registration of children in cocoa-farming communities.
• Satellite-Based Land Use Monitoring Service Satellite-based land use monitoring analyses imagery to track land-use change, forest cover and biomass development, using AI algorithms to assess canopy coverage and environmental impact in cocoa landscapes.
• GPS-Based Land Delimitation Service GPS-based land delimitation uses calibrated satellite GPS and certified geodetic reference points to map and measure cocoa farm boundaries at lower cost than traditional theodolite methods, supporting land-certification for producers.
• Cocoa Traceability System (PCR CC1) The PCR CC1 cocoa traceability system is an online platform providing full visibility over the physical flow of cocoa from farmer to warehouse to port facilities, including farmer KYC, farm polygon mapping, demographic and family data, tree age and variety percentages, and delivery recording.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,909,791 tree seedlings distributed for agroforestry and reforestation over 7 years
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Green Nawa Initiative supporting forest restoration and environmental protection activities in the Nawa region of Côte d'Ivoire.
• Swiss Platform for Sustainable CocoacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFarmStrong Foundation is a board member representing NGOs. The foundation participates in the Landscape Call initiative and collaborates on sustainable cocoa programs.
• Rainforest AlliancemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCertification organization for sustainable agriculture working on standards alignment.
• UNICEFmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUN agency supporting child protection and welfare programs within FarmStrong's community interventions.
• MINEF (Ministry of Environment and Forests of Côte d'Ivoire)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment ministry providing regulatory support and collaboration for reforestation and environmental protection activities.
• SODEFOR (Société de Développement des Forêts)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIvorian forestry development agency collaborating on classified forest restoration and reforestation programs.
• Conseil Café CacaocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational cocoa and coffee council providing regulatory framework and program coordination for cocoa sector.
• ANADER (National Agency for Rural Development Support)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment agency providing technical agricultural extension services and farmer training support.
• OIPR (Office Ivoirien des Parcs et Réserves)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational parks and reserves agency collaborating on biodiversity conservation and protected area management.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hershey's Cocoa Promise: Hershey's cocoa sustainability program focused on traceability, child labor remediation, and farmer income in West Africa. Overlapping donor relationship and program areas including CLMRS work that parallels FarmStrong's CCPS.
• Cocoa Horizons Foundation: Barry Callebaut's nonprofit foundation focused on sustainable cocoa, farmer livelihoods, and community development in Côte d'Ivoire and other origins. Directly comparable mandate, funder model (single major chocolate company), and smallholder training approach.
• Solidaridad West Africa: International civil society organization running farmer training, sustainable supply chains, and community development programs across West African cocoa, palm oil, and other commodities. Comparable integrated rural development model with field-based delivery.
• Mars Cocoa for Generations: Mars Inc.'s cocoa sustainability initiative covering farmer income, community development, child protection, and traceability across Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, and other origins. Directly comparable integrated cocoa-sustainability mission.
• Cocoa Life (Mondelēz): Mondelēz International's cocoa sustainability program supporting farmer livelihoods, community development, and child protection across six cocoa-origin countries. Closely comparable integrated approach with Côte d'Ivoire as a primary geography.
• Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program: Swiss premium chocolate maker's cocoa sourcing program emphasizing farmer livelihoods, traceability, and cocoa origin sustainability in West Africa. Shares FarmStrong's Swiss-base, premium-brand positioning and Côte d'Ivoire smallholder focus.
• Nestlé Cocoa Plan: Nestlé's cocoa sustainability program covering farmer training, agroforestry, child labor monitoring, and supply chain traceability across West Africa. Closely comparable scope, donor relationship (Nestlé is a FarmStrong donor), and Côte d'Ivoire focus.

Broad incumbents

• IDH - The Sustainable Trade Initiative: Public-private partnership that convenes companies, governments, and NGOs to fund landscape-level sustainability programs in cocoa, palm, and other commodities. Comparable donor-intermediary role for FarmStrong's corporate funders.
• World Cocoa Foundation: Industry coalition of 100+ chocolate and cocoa companies funding sustainability initiatives in cocoa origins. Broader mandate than FarmStrong's field-delivery model but a key convening and funding counterpart for any West African cocoa NGO.
• Rainforest Alliance: Global certification and landscape stewardship organization active in Côte d'Ivoire cocoa through the UTZ-Rainforest Alliance merged program. A strategic partner and standard-setter whose certifications FarmStrong programs help farmers achieve.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCmVIYtj-ZGDb_95T0BTZBrg
• Facebookfacebook.com/FarmStrongFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/farmstrong-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/farmstrongfoundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 FarmStrong Foundation