Zaina Gohou’s Ethical Brand Zacao Is Shaking Up the $130 Billion Chocolate Industry

Zaina Gohou is reshaping the chocolate industry with her new brand, Zacao, challenging its exploitative history and offering a sweeter, more ethical alternative. Drawing from her family’s roots – her grandfather was a cacao farmer – Gohou has built a business that sources beans directly from West African farmers, cutting out middlemen to ensure fair wages and sustainable practices.

Despite being the backbone of a US$130 billion global industry, 58 percent of West African cacao farmers live below the poverty line. Zacao aims to change that, operating on a model rooted in equity, transparency, and a rejection of colonial legacies.

The chocolate is plant-based, organic, and sweetened with unrefined coconut sugar – crafted entirely in Ghana, a fact that often surprises consumers.

“People are surprised our premium chocolate is made in Ghana,” Gohou says. “If champagne is made in France, why would chocolate not be made in Ghana or Cote d’Ivoire? Africa isn’t just a source of raw materials. Who better to make extraordinary chocolate than those who’ve cultivated cacao for generations?”

To date, Zacao partners with over 250 family-run farms in Ghana, paying farmers US$600 per ton of cacao – well above the regional average – and helping build skilled labor, local economic growth, and long-term prosperity.

For Gohou, the ultimate goal is empowerment. “When you create something that genuinely helps people or the planet, your passion becomes your driving force,” she says. “I envision a future where farmers earn fair wages, send their kids to school, access clean water, and thrive as their communities grow. That’s the real impact I’m dreaming of.”