00:00Try it.
00:05It's quite spicy.
00:07After trying my hand at making chocolate in Joburg,
00:09I started wondering about Africa's cocoa story.
00:14And I discovered that Africa grows much of the world's cocoa.
00:18Who knew?
00:19But when it comes to making luxury chocolate,
00:22most people think of Switzerland or Belgium.
00:25So I went looking for women changing that story.
00:33There's a whole chocolatey revolution going down in Africa.
00:37And here are my top three.
00:39Coming in at number three is Wesi Mzumara from Malawi.
00:44Now, Malawi isn't exactly the first place that comes to mind
00:48when you think of chocolate.
00:50In fact, cocoa from Malawi often ends up being sold as cocoa from somewhere else.
00:56Wesi decided to change that.
00:58I've always loved cooking.
01:00So making chocolate and being able to experiment with ingredients
01:04that people typically, traditionally wouldn't put in chocolate.
01:08What's remarkable is that Wesi isn't just making chocolate.
01:13I'm a cocoa farmer, chocolate maker and chocolatier in training
01:17and the only one in Malawi that actually does all of the three.
01:22And while this part, she didn't even start out as a farmer.
01:26After an international career in design and events,
01:29she came home and found that her parents had planted her five cocoa trees.
01:33I was hovering through Tanzania and we saw some two ladies who offered me two pots of cocoa.
01:40I brought them here and I started a nursery.
01:44I was dilly dallying between 2011, 2013.
01:47I was like, okay, let's do 50 more trees.
01:5050 became a thousand.
01:52And before she knew it, she had a whole new career.
01:55You go, girl.
01:57Today, she experiments with flavors, beauty products, digital sales,
02:02and even plans for cocoa inspired fine dining nights.
02:07So I'll be Wesi Wonka.
02:08Honestly, that's a title she's earned.
02:11But if you think that Malawi's chocolate story is sweet,
02:15wait until you meet two sisters who turned Ghanaian independence into a premium chocolate brand.
02:22At number two, Kimberly Addison and the team from 57 Chocolate in Ghana.
02:28Now, Ghana is already famous for cocoa.
02:31Some of the world's best beans come from there.
02:34But Kimberly and her sister Priscilla wanted something more.
02:38Instead of exporting raw ingredients, they wanted to create a world-class African luxury brand.
02:45We're not creating just a regular chocolate brand.
02:48We're creating a uniquely African chocolate brand, both in appearance and flavor.
02:53The name itself tells a story.
02:5657 is short for 1957, which is Ghana's independence.
03:00But it's not just about being free from colonial power.
03:03It's more about the spirit behind independence.
03:05And so 57 basically stands for that can-do spirit that was during the independence era that,
03:12hey, we as Ghanaians and as Africans can manufacture, can produce for our own, and can grow our own economy.
03:20What began as kitchen experiments after tasting Swiss chocolate has become a premium chocolate company,
03:28celebrating Ghanaian culture through every bar.
03:31The wrappers feature Andinkra symbols.
03:35Flavors feature local ingredients like moringa, toasted coconut, and rosal.
03:42Every stage carefully managed to preserve the quality that Ghanaian cocoa is famous for.
03:49It's chocolate, but it's also culture, creativity, and confidence wrapped in one.
03:55And wow, doesn't that look yummy?
04:00Now, Ghana makes amazing chocolate.
04:02Malawi is creating a new chocolate future.
04:05But what happens when you're in a country with ideal cocoa-grown conditions?
04:10And hardly anyone knows about it.
04:12At number one, we're heading to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
04:16Here, Este Cayenne discovered a sweet surprise.
04:24It's very hot. What can you offer me today?
04:28I will offer you our popular dessert, chocolate bomb sundae.
04:33Chocolate isn't the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the DRC.
04:37But maybe it should be.
04:40The country has fertile volcanic soil and excellent cocoa-grown conditions.
04:45Much of the cocoa is grown in the East, while businesses in Kinshasa often still rely on imported chocolate.
04:55We import our chocolates because we don't really have a market that supplies us here in Kinshasa.
05:00With the war in the East, it's difficult.
05:02Because chocolate, you can only find it in the East here.
05:08But that's exactly why Congo's chocolate story feels so full of potential.
05:13The cocoa is here.
05:15The demand is here.
05:16The talent is here.
05:18The goal?
05:19More being to buy chocolate made in Africa for Africans.
05:23And after discovering all of this, I've just got one question.
05:27Who's bringing me dessert?
05:29All right.
05:29What?
05:30How you doing budget is holiday?
05:33We're going to give you fruit.
05:33And let me know.
