Acumen Invests in Loom Craft Chocolate to Build Nigeria’s Premium Chocolate Supply Chain
The female-led company is transforming cocoa from export commodity to national pride.
- Blog
- Sustainable agriculture
- West Africa
Acumen has invested in Loom Craft Chocolate, a pioneering Nigerian company producing high-quality chocolate while helping smallholder cocoa farmers earn more from their harvests. This marks Acumen’s first investment in Nigeria’s chocolate sector and will support Loom Craft Chocolate’s plans to expand production, reach new markets, and provide deeper support for rural farmers through hands-on training and fair sourcing practices.
“This investment validates the work we’ve done to create a more inclusive, value-driven cocoa industry in Nigeria,” said Uzoamaka Igweike, Founder and CEO of Loom Craft Chocolate. “Partnering with Acumen allows us to scale faster, reach more farmers, and prove that world-class chocolate can be made right here at origin. By Nigerians, for Nigerians, and for the world.”
Loom Craft Chocolate is redefining what Nigeria’s cocoa sector can be. The company’s chocolate bars and baking blocks are used by bakers, restaurants, and chocolatiers across the country. In 2024 alone, Loom Craft Chocolate sold more than 400 baking blocks and 41,000 chocolate bars.
Acumen’s capital will help Loom Craft Chocolate double its monthly production to 17,000 bars, hire key team members, and purchase equipment to increase output and efficiency. The company has sold more than 220,000 chocolate bars since launching in 2020 and now aims to produce 500,000 bars annually by 2029.
Seventy farmers in Ondo State have already completed Loom Craft Chocolate’s post-harvest training. With support from the TRACE project, Loom Craft Chocolate is expanding its sourcing network to more than 1,000 smallholder farmers.
“What sets Loom Craft Chocolate apart is its boldness,” said Feyisola Adekogbe, Senior Investment Associate at Acumen. “They’ve built a chocolate manufacturing business in one of the most challenging environments, where others have hesitated. Their relentless drive to localize value addition, improve farmer livelihoods, and redefine what’s possible in Nigeria’s cocoa industry is precisely why we’ve backed them.”
The company’s impact extends beyond the farm. Loom Craft Chocolate has created 45 jobs—14 full-time and 31 part-time—with women holding the majority of those roles. As a woman-led manufacturer in a male-dominated sector, Loom Craft Chocolate is showing what inclusive, locally driven entrepreneurship can look like in West Africa’s food and agriculture space.
This work is supported by the Challenge Fund for Youth Employment (CFYE), managed by the Palladium Group, Randstad and VSO, and funded by the Netherlands Ministry for Foreign Affairs. This investment is also part of Acumen’s Trellis initiative.
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