Koa, the startup upcycling cocoa fruit, has deployed its first e-tricycle in Ghana to greenify the value chain and the wider cocoa industry.
Solar energy has played a critical role in enabling Koa’s success in extracting the so-far discarded cocoa fruit. According to the company, renewable energy, the greenification of the value chain, and the wider cocoa industry remain important aspirations.
Tricycles, locally known as Aboboyaa, transport goods and people within rural areas in Ghana. Koa has partnered with another startup that aims to bring e-mobility to rural Africa and offers to test their prototype. Due to Koa’s decentralized value chain and close collaboration with smallholder farmers, tricycles are used daily to transport cocoa pulp and beans from farms to communities. On average, Koa’s tricycles drive a total of 50km every day in very rough road conditions, with up to 600kg of load per trip. This is the perfect testing ground for the new electrified tricycle to see how it compares to conventional fuel-based vehicles. Koa plans to organize a broader pilot project with its partner.
Last year, the Swiss-Ghanaian company secured $10 million in growth capital to enable the company to scale its production capabilities tenfold and cooperate with an additional 10,000 cocoa smallholders in Ghana. Koa is the first company in West Africa to unlock a new value chain around discarded cocoa pulp by reducing on-farm food waste while generating additional farmer income. The company supplies unique new ingredients to the food and beverage industry for applications ranging from chocolate confectionery and ice cream to drinks.
