Episode 11: From Computers to Chocolate – Richard's Journey
Foreword by Hendrik
If it had been up to me, Richard probably would never have become part of fairafric . And that's something I would deeply regret today.
In 2020, I asked Akua, a Ghanaian chocolatier friend, for help in setting up a training program for chocolatiers. My idea was to train only women and to provide paid training positions to those who need this opportunity most urgently.
Akua thought the idea was fantastic and agreed to train the first class of aspiring chocolatiers. However, there was one condition: there had to be at least one man on the team – she was convinced that this would be good for the team dynamic.
I left the selection to Akua, and that's how Richard found his way into our first vintage of Chocolatiers .
What I only learned much later: With the selection of "Richie", Akua – perhaps without consciously planning it – followed exactly this principle: giving the chance to those who need it most.
Enjoy getting to know Richard!
Your
Hendrik 
The beginning of an unexpected journey
It was 2020, and we had just opened our new factory. Finding qualified staff for chocolate production was no easy task.
Although there are tens of thousands – if not hundreds of thousands – of well-educated young people in Ghana looking for work, there was practically no experience in chocolate production.
This gave rise to the idea of training our future employees ourselves. The first group of our Chocolatier School was to consist of five highly motivated young people.
That this was not an empty statement was also evident in the management team at the time: The 9-member team consisted of four women and five men .
Meet Richard
However, the four young women who had already been selected asked Akua to also include a man in the team to ensure a better balance.
Since participation and consensus play a major role in Ghanaian culture, Akua began to think about which young man might really need this opportunity.
Then she thought of Richard .
A promising start
Richard had been unemployed for some time at that point. After graduating from university, he had initially landed a promising government position. Unfortunately, the role was project-based and temporary – and when the project ended, there was no budget to keep him on.
His career had started very promisingly. Richard had developed a great interest in computers at an early age, and his family supported his dream of studying computer science. To make this possible, Richard took a big risk: he financed his studies with a student loan.
That was a rare opportunity. In his year group , only about 10% of young people in Ghana were able to begin university studies (by comparison, in Germany this figure is around 78%).
Richard didn't want to disappoint his family – and graduated with excellent results . This led to a job for him in a government project to digitize the national ID card system.
But as is so often the case in Ghana, this job was only temporary . When the project ended, his contract was not renewed despite his good performance.
A new opportunity
Akua knew this – and offered Richie the chance to take a new path and learn the craft of chocolatier .
He didn't hesitate for a moment.
Richie quickly became an indispensable part of the team. When we asked colleagues how they would describe him, we heard things like: "He is the heart of the team" or "the godfather of the department."
Richie welcomed new team members with open arms. He enjoyed sharing his knowledge and supporting others in their learning. Over time, he also began to assist management with organizational tasks – such as shift planning, warehouse management, and machine maintenance.
Ultimately, all of this led to Richie being offered the position of Assistant Manager – a role he now fills with great pride and dedication.
More than just a job
His entrepreneurial spirit is evident even outside the chocolate shop. When Richie learned about our interest-free loans for employees , he pitched his own business idea .
During his time at university , students constantly exchanged books because there was no affordable way to make copies . Since most students could n't afford every book themselves , they relied on this sharing – which was time- consuming and often meant they could only rely on their own notes .
His idea: to open a copy shop directly at the university so that students can easily make copies of the books they need .
He received the loan from fairafric and now runs a successful copy shop . Having been given the opportunity to build a livelihood himself , he has since created jobs for others as well .
Richie has now fully repaid his student loan.
After completing his training and securing a permanent position at fairafric, he proposed to his girlfriend . Today, the couple has three children.With his talent and dedication, nothing stands in his way.
Would you like to support us on our journey?
Learn how you can get involved and become part of the fairafric movement . Together we are working to produce the first climate -positive chocolate made in Ghana and to make the future of the chocolate industry more sustainable .
