Market Insights

Reporting from the fields, ports and markets

Price trends, farmer stories and export logistics — written for buyers and growers navigating the same supply chain.

Cocoa prices rise 12% in Q3 as West African supply tightens

Erratic rainfall in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana, combined with steady European demand for single-origin chocolate, pushed benchmark cocoa prices up sharply this quarter.

Amara NwosuOctober 8, 2024 6 min read

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Farmer Stories

How Ugandan vanilla reached Michelin kitchens

A cooperative in Mukono District spent four years chasing export-grade certification. Today its cured vanilla pods season dessert menus in Paris and Copenhagen.

Daniel KigongoSeptember 22, 2024 8 min read

Logistics

Reefer vs. dry container: what exporters actually need to know

Choosing the wrong container type can cost a shipment its quality grade. Here's a practical breakdown of when to book reefer and when dry will do.

Samuel BoatengAugust 30, 2024 5 min read

Compliance

The EU Deforestation Regulation: what African exporters must prepare now

EUDR compliance is no longer optional for coffee, cocoa and palm oil exporters selling into the EU. Here's what documentation buyers will start demanding.

Amara NwosuJuly 15, 2024 7 min read

Farmer Stories

Inside the women-led shea cooperatives powering Northern Ghana's exports

Over 12,000 women across the Upper West Region now process shea nuts into export-grade butter for cosmetics brands in Germany and the United States.

Daniel KigongoJune 2, 2024 6 min read

Sustainability

Climate resilience is the new competitive edge for tea smallholders

Shifting rainfall patterns are forcing tea smallholders in Kenya and Rwanda to rethink shade cover, harvest timing and soil management — with real yield payoffs.

Samuel BoatengMay 11, 2024 5 min read