Author: Phil Grout In July and November 2002, poet and photojournalist Phil Grout went to Ghana to document the lives of Fair Trade cocoa growers. The result is this beautiful book which tells the story of cocoa farmers of the Kuapa Kokoo Cooperative whose primary crop is the main ingredient of Divine Chocolate. Grout lived with an extended family of cocoa farmers in Ghana and came away with a much different picture of village life than he expected. It takes extraordinary effort to organize a farmer-owned trading company. Year by year, sack by sack, farmer by farmer, this cooperative has transformed totally invisible producers at the end of an anonymous and unaccountable global trading supply chain into dignified members of a respected cooperative. The organization speaks out for them, profitably trades their cocoa, accounts for every cent from every member, and supports hundreds of community projects such as improving access to water and education of the entire comminuty. In 1998 the Kuapa Kokoo farmers launched their own chocolate bar called Divine- a unique move to bridge the gap between cocoa farmer and consumer. With 141 beautiful color photos spread throughout the story, Phil Grout is able to give the world a glimpse of the daily life of farming and trading cocoa in West Africa. Grout has worked throughout the Developing World documenting the human condition in India, Nicaragua, Sudan, Thailand, Vietnam, Dominican Republic, the Philippines and the US, gathering the threads which bind us together as human beings. His work has been honored by the Associated Press and various arts groups. Harvest of Hope is the third book Grout has authored and illustrated. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to cocoa farmers in Ghana through Kuapa Kokoo, Ltd. and the Odaho Society of Kuapa Kokoo. "The roots of hope run deep in this earth. Hope brings its own sweet rain at just the right time, turning plump and golden day after day, because hope is a fruit always in season, brought home on sweat-soaked backs and left to dry for one more Harvest of Hope." - Phil Grout For more information, visit Global Exchange's Cocoa campaign.
Country of Origin: Ghana
Paperback: 96 Pages
Published: 2003