Loom Craft Chocolate

The challenge

Nigeria is one of the world’s leading cocoa producers, yet for decades the country has exported raw beans while missing out on the higher-value opportunity of chocolate making. Smallholder farmers earn little from their harvests, women-led manufacturing is rare, and most of the value created from cocoa ends up overseas. Local demand for premium chocolate remains low, leaving untapped potential at origin.

The innovation

Loom Craft Chocolate is building Nigeria’s premium chocolate supply chain—from farm to bar. The female-led company produces high-quality chocolate products for bakers, chefs, and consumers across the country. They source directly from farmers, pay up to 30% above market price, and offer training in post-harvest practices like fermentation and drying. With Acumen’s investment, the company is scaling production to 500,000 bars a year by 2029 and expanding its farmer network to more than 1,000 suppliers.

The impact

Acumen’s support marks its first investment in Nigeria’s chocolate sector and fuels Loom’s ambition to redefine the cocoa industry. The company has already sold over 220,000 chocolate bars and created 45 jobs—most held by women. As a pioneer in women-led manufacturing, Loom is unlocking income for rural farmers and building national pride around a homegrown product, producing chocolate at origin and shifting perceptions of what’s possible in African agribusiness.