A year ago, Kamapim Ltd., local subsidiary of Envirium Life Sciences, entered Papua New Guinea’s cocoa sector with a clear ambition: creating new opportunities for rural communities.

In Madang Province, the success of the first cocoa campaigns and the commitment of our agronomists, who have spent considerable time in the field to better understand local conditions and support the farmers we partner with, are already attracting positive recognition from the local media.

Today, we are grateful to the local authorities for their support and to all our local partners for joining us on this ambitious journey.

According to the PNG Cocoa Board, cocoa generated PGK 63 million (€12 millions) for farmers in Madang Province last year: “Until 2006 and the emergence of a devastating pest, cocoa was one of Papua New Guinea’s main agricultural resources,” explains Varun Kumar Rai, General Manager of Kamapim. “We are proud to contribute to the revival of this important sector, which holds great potential for local communities. We’ve helped the farmers organize themselves into cooperatives, among which the Lower Bundi Cocoa Cooperative in the Madang Province, and trained them to produce premium-quality cocoa.”

At Kamapim, we are delighted with this promising start and with the strong partnerships we have built with local communities since 2018 through our vanilla operations, partnerships that have been further strengthened by the development of our cocoa activities. In a country where many populations remain geographically isolated, helping farmers connect to international markets, create sustainable jobs, and unlock new opportunities remains our core mission.

Kamapim Ltd.’s business model is unique and has been tailored to local communities combining economic development with the preservation of traditional cultures and the protection of primary rainforest.

“Entering Papua New Guinea’s cocoa sector was an important step not only for Kamapim Ltd., but also for Envirium Life Sciences as a whole, adds Christian Van Osselaer, Co-CEO of the Group. “As the only industrial group present across all three major vanilla origins, we now also operate in two key cocoa origins. This provides our customers with new sourcing opportunities while creating sustainable value for local farming communities