Lioness Launch / Sustainable South African fine chocolate brand, Rrraw Chocolate, launches two unique new African flavours to excite tastebuds

November 19, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Ana Maria Panait, founder, Rrraw (South Africa)

Lioness Launch

Fine chocolate lovers in South Africa already know that what makes Rrraw stand out in the world of chocolates is its unwavering commitment to quality. Founded by entrepreneur brand builder, Ana Maria Panait, Rrraw is winning a growing fan base for its combination of exciting flavours which celebrate Africa's food cultures and unique ingredients. This month sees the launch of two new taste sensations in the brand’s growing product range: Rrraw Red Tart Chocolate - in a Coconut White base and part of the African flavours range, this is an homage to West Africa and its sweet and sour bissap /hibiscus tea; and Rrraw Spekboom Chocolate - the only Spekboom chocolate in the world. Spekboom is an indigenous South-African plant with rare and unique qualities, favoured by black rhinos, elephants, and kudus. Its leaves are edible, have a zesty lemon-like taste and are also surprisingly high in Vitamin C.

Chiinga Musonda, a pioneering artisan chocolate brand builder

April 25, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Chiinga Musonda, co-founder of Savanna Premium Chocolate (Zambia) — **Chiinga Musonda**, co-founder of Savanna Premium Chocolate (Zambia)

Lioness Weekender Cover Story

Savanna Premium Chocolate, a bean-to-bar brand putting Zambia on the global chocolate map

Passion is one of the key ingredients to building any successful business and brand. And, in the world of artisan chocolate making, it is one of the Savanna Premium Chocolate brand’s strongest assets, thanks to founders Chiinga Musonda and Lynna Musonda Phiri.

Femi Oyedipe, Nigeria’s sustainable bean-to-bar chocolate producer

April 11, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Femi Oyedipe, CEO & Co-Founder, Loshes Chocolate (Nigeria)

Lioness Weekender Cover Story

Loshes Chocolate, adding economic value by processing raw cocoa into luxury products

Femi Oyedipe is the CEO & Co-Founder of Loshes Chocolate in Nigeria, a company birthed in 2015. With a diversified wealth of experience in Biochemistry, Human Resources, Client Relations and Business Management, Femi owns the expertise to successfully manage day-to-day business operations and the organization’s key asset; employees and clients. Having lived and worked in different parts of the world, she has honed the craft for design and aesthetic management and understands what excellent customer service delivery entails.

Dana Mroueh, an artisan chocolatier celebrating Côte d’Ivoire’s renowned cocoa beans

August 15, 2020 Melanie Hawken

Dana Mroueh, founder of MonChoco (Côte d’Ivoire)

Lioness Weekender Cover Story

Meet MonChoco, a proudly Ivorian chocolate brand, reflecting the country’s exceptional terroir.

Côte d’Ivoire is renowned for the quality of its cocoa beans, but up until now, the world has not had the opportunity to widely celebrate those beans in the finest of chocolate forms. But that is rapidly changing as artisan chocolatier Dana Mroueh and her company, MonChoco, are producing a very special raw chocolate brand and range of products that is exciting taste buds in the country.

Kimberley and Priscilla Addison, pioneers of artisanal bean-to-bar chocolate manufacturing

July 5, 2020 Melanie Hawken

Kimberley and Priscilla Addison, founders of ’57 Chocolate (Ghana)

Lioness Weekender Cover Story

Meet the founders of ’57 Chocolate, Ghana’s luxury chocolate brand

Africa needs women entrepreneurs who really understand the power of the entrepreneurial value chain in their countries, and in Ghana a great example can be found in Kimberley and Priscilla Addison, founders of ’57 Chocolate. The company’s philosophy is based on a bean-to-bar approach to manufacture and distribution, adding value to everyone along the value chain, from cocoa bean grower to consumer. ‘57 Chocolate is a world-class brand that believes in not merely trading the country’s natural resources in their “natural” state, but instead using creativity to transform these resources by developing made in Ghana products of premium value. Lionesses of Africa spoke to these pioneering sisters this month to find out more.

Quote of the Day by Chiinga Musonda

January 30, 2020 Melanie Hawken

"We decided to create a bean to bar chocolate company because of our love for chocolate, but also because we want to make an impact in Africa.”

Chiinga Musonda, co-founder of Savanna Premium Chocolate (Zambia)

Quote of the Day by Kimberly and Priscilla Addison

January 22, 2020 Melanie Hawken

"57 Chocolate aims to inspire the people of Ghana, especially the youth to create and develop Made in Ghana products of highest value."

Kimberly and Priscilla Addison, co-founders of '57 Chocolate (Ghana)

Savanna Premium Chocolate wins major international chocolate award

January 12, 2020 Melanie Hawken

Awards and Accolades

The International Chocolate Awards, the equivalent of the Oscars for the chocolate world, have recently taken place, and Zambia’s Savanna Premium Chocolate, founded by entrepreneur Chiinga Musonda and Lynn Musonda Phiri, has scooped a top prize.

Ana Maria Panait, an entrepreneur in South Africa creating raw vegan chocolate for conscious consumers

January 12, 2020 Melanie Hawken

Ana Maria Panait, founder of Rrraw (South Africa)

Startup Story

Chocolate lovers will know that there is nothing quite like the taste and aroma of cacao in its purest form, and its health properties are well documented. Now, vegan consumers, as well as chocolate afficionados in South Africa, can experience the fabulous taste of Rrraw, a new vegan, organic and sugar free chocolate brand, founded by entrepreneur Ana Maria Panait, that is exciting tastebuds.

Lioness Launch / Nigerian bean-to-bar chocolate company, Loshes Chocolate, launches new ranges of chocolate bars and gift boxes

November 24, 2019 Melanie Hawken

Femi Oyedipe, founder of Loshes Chocolate (Nigeria)

Lioness Launch

The renowned and fast growing Loshes Chocolate, a bean-to-bar, single-origin, craft chocolate processing company in Lagos, Nigeria, is expanding its range to include some exciting new chocolate bars and gift boxes. Founded by entrepreneur, Femi Oyedipe, the company is building a reputation for its production of fine chocolates and baking products for both individual and commercial consumers.

LIONESS LAUNCH / Ivorian chocolatier Mon Choco launches its exciting new Mendiant flavour

September 28, 2019 Melanie Hawken

Lioness Launch

Calling all chocolate lovers! In Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, artisan chocolate company, Mon Choco, founded by the inspirational entrepreneur and talented chocolatier, Dana Mroueh, is launching an exciting new flavour in its delicious raw chocolate bar range this month. Mendiant is a new product which incorporates nuts and candied fruits into its world-class raw chocolate bars.

LIONESS LAUNCH: The Chocolatiers open their first retail store experience in Johannesburg

August 12, 2018 Melanie Hawken

Melanie Finch-Keshwar & Ann Finch, co-founders of The Chocolatiers (South Africa) — **Melanie Finch-Keshwar & Ann Finch**, co-founders of The Chocolatiers (South Africa)

There is nothing quite like a retail store experience when you want customers to see, smell and taste your luxury artisanal chocolates. That’s why this month, The Chocolatiers opened their first retail store in their trendy local village of Linden in Johannesburg.

Nathalie Gambah Kpante, a passionate entrepreneur helping to build a high impact cacao value chain in Togo

July 10, 2018 Melanie Hawken

Nathalie Gambah Kpante, co-founder of ChocoTogo (Togo) — **Nathalie Gambah Kpante**, co-founder of ChocoTogo (Togo)

In Togo, where 100% of the cacao production has historically been exported, one company is looking to change that narrative and bring new economic hope to the country. ChocoTogo, an inspirational company led by entrepreneur Nathalie Gambah Kpante, is proving that a bean to bar chocolate producing philosophy can bring economic hope and prosperity to a country.

Kimberly & Priscilla Addison, two sisters pioneering bean to bar chocolate production in Ghana

July 9, 2018 Melanie Hawken

On a mission to show the world that quality chocolate can be produced in Ghana where some of the finest cacao beans grow, sisters Kimberly and Priscilla Addison created ’57 Chocolate. This growing business and brand is inspiring not only a generation of aspirant future chocolatiers in the country, but also the tastebuds of the world’s chocolate lovers.

Meet Africa’s game-changing women chocolatiers making a real impact on the continent’s cacao value chain

July 7, 2018 Melanie Hawken

Chocolate - who doesn’t love it? Today the world consumes more than 4.5 million tonnes of cacao beans each year, and global retail sales of chocolate topped 98 billion U.S. dollars in 2016. Did you know that 70% of the world’s cacao is grown in Africa, yet Africa produces less than 1% of the world's chocolate? The chocolate we know and love to eat is produced elsewhere in the world using Africa’s raw ingredients. This contradiction and lost economic opportunity has not gone unnoticed by a new generation of women chocolatiers across Africa who are launching great new chocolate brands and products. Their skill, passion and entrepreneurial spirit will hopefully in the near future give rise to exciting new African chocolate brands that will go global.

Chiinga Musonda and Lynn Musonda Phiri, two pioneering Zambian entrepreneurs putting the country on the global chocolate map

July 6, 2018 Melanie Hawken

Selassie Atadika, a Ghanaian artisan chocolatier creating a luxury truffle range celebrating Africa’s unique flavours and stories

July 5, 2018 Melanie Hawken

Selassie Atadika, founder of Midunu Chocolates (Ghana) — **Selassie Atadika**, founder of Midunu Chocolates (Ghana)

Who doesn’t like truffles? Those wonderful, lovingly handcrafted chocolates that melt on the tongue with evocatively scented centres that tease the tastebuds. One company taking the truffle to whole new levels is entrepreneur and chocolatier, Selassie Atadika, founder of Midunu Chocolates in Ghana.

Dana Mroueh, an artisan chocolatier celebrating the quality of cocoa in Côte d’Ivoire through her wonderful raw chocolate brand

July 3, 2018 Melanie Hawken

Côte d’Ivoire is renowned for the quality of its cocoa beans, but up until now, the world has not had the opportunity to widely celebrate those beans in the finest of chocolate forms. But that is rapidly changing as Ivorian artisan chocolatier Dana Mroueh and her company, MonChoco, are producing a very special raw chocolate brand and range of products that is exciting taste buds in the country.

Oluwafemi Oyedipe, a Nigerian chocolatier bringing a proudly African bean-to-bar approach to chocolate making in her country

July 3, 2018 Melanie Hawken

Oluwafemi Oyedipe, founder of LoshesChocolate (Nigeria) — **Oluwafemi Oyedipe**, founder of LoshesChocolate (Nigeria)

Across Africa, more and more women entrepreneurs are becoming aware of the need to add value locally when it comes to making world class chocolate using Africa’s abundent cocoa resources. One entrepreneur in Nigeria who is part of this vanguard of African women chocolatiers, Oluwafemi Oyedipe, founder of LoshesChocolate, is doing just that with her bean-to-bar philosophy of chocolate making.

Séfora Noor of Kakawa Chocolates shares the story of four friends turning a passion for chocolate into a business in Mozambique

May 6, 2018 Melanie Hawken

Many successful businesses are inspired by a combination of passion and friendship. That is certainly the case with Kakawa Chocolates, a Mozambican company that is winning a passionate following of chocolate lovers in the country.