Ghana

In October 2024, Ghana’s small but dedicated coffee industry converged at the first Ghana Coffee Fair & Exhibition, hosted by the Coffee Roasters Association of Ghana (CRAG) in Accra. Members such as Jamestown Coffee Company, Bean Masters, Asili Coffee, Gold Coast Coffee Roasters, Kawa Moka, and CafeMagnifico showcased locally grown and processed coffee, aiming to introduce Ghanaian terroir to the world. ‘It was a great turnout,’ says Benedicta Tamakloe, founder of Bean Masters Ltd. ‘We were impressed by people’s openness to try Ghanaian coffee [and] test robusta as a viable alternative [to Arabica].’ The fair coincided with Ghana Coffee Week, which featured a barista championship, a forum for women and youth in coffee, and an agro-tourism trip to coffee farms in Volta Region.

Population: 34 million | Area: 93,000 sq miles (236,533 sq km) | Capital: Accra | Currency: Ghanaian cedi

Benedicta says that Ghana had ‘almost lost [its] coffee culture’ until local roasters gained momentum in the late 2010s. Ghana Coffee Week represents decades of efforts to rebuild the coffee sector, supported by international development partners and state institutions. Locally, it was sponsored by CRAG, the Coffee Federation of Ghana, and the Ghana Cacao Board (COCOBOD). Internationally, it received backing from development partners like the International Trade Centre program Alliances for Action (ITC A4A), the European Union, the World Bank’s ACP Business Friendly program, and ACRAM, a nonprofit revitalizing the robusta coffee sector in Africa and Madagascar. All are investing heavily in Ghana’s coffee potential.

Roasters like Benedicta’s Bean Masters are driving demand for ‘proudly Ghanaian coffee’ while creating a model that allows Ghana to retain more of coffee’s value. Approximately 8,000 smallholder farmers now grow coffee and are increasingly encouraged to join associations. Ghana is entering a new era of coffee revitalization centred on collaboration, sustainable development, and economic opportunities for smallholders.

In Ghana, cocoa casts a long shadow

Any discussion of coffee in Ghana must acknowledge the significant role of cacao in the economy. Long before cacao’s commercialization, Ghana was dubbed ‘the Gold Coast’ by European colonists who exploited its resources and people during the transatlantic slave trade.

The Gold Coast was a British colony from 1821 to 1957, becoming the first sub-Saharan African country to gain independence. It has relied on cacao since the late 19th century, when blacksmith Tetteh Quarsie brought cacao pods from Spain in 1879. The British administration supported its distribution, but increasing production led to falling prices and periodic farmer revolts. In 1947, COCOBOD was established to regulate cacao prices and grow the sector; however, production plummeted in the 1960s and 70s due to tree age and disease, bushfires, and smuggling to Togo and Côte d’Ivoire. The Cacao Marketing Board was briefly abolished in 1979 due to corruption but was reestablished in 1985 as the Ghana Cacao Board during an economic recovery. In the 1980s, the government established 19 coffee plantations that were later privatized. Today, COCOBOD focuses on R&D, quality control, seedling distribution, technical support, and certification, while continuing to fix cacao prices to protect farmers from market volatility.

Official language: English, a legacy of British colonial rule, serves as lingua franca among Ghana’s many ethnic groups. Various ethnic groups speak languages including Fante, Akuapem Twi, Asante Twi, Ewe, Akan, Dagaare, Ga, Kasem, and Nzema. The government has considered making French a co-official language due to Ghana’s borders with Francophone nations.

Despite cacao’s dominance, coffee was actually introduced to Ghana before cacao by missionaries in the mid-18th century. Although colonial settlers attempted to grow arabica, robusta proved to yield better results due to the farmland’s low elevation of 1300–2600ft (400–800 masl) and arabica’s susceptibility to pests and disease. However, influenced by British colonialism, Ghanaians developed a preference for black tea with milk and sugar instead of coffee, colloquially referring to most warm breakfast drinks as ‘tea’, including Nestlé’s popular cocoa malt drink MILO.

COCOBOD does not publish statistics on coffee, making it difficult to estimate production. Since the mid-2010s, Ghana’s smallholder coffee farmers typically cultivate between half an acre to 1.5 acres. Coffee- and cacao-growing regions overlap, and coffee is often sun-dried on the same raised beds used to dry cacao. COCOBOD’s coffee and cocoa rehabilitation programmes have aimed to combat plant disease and promote growth. At the start of the 2024/2025 coffee season, its Seed Production Division distributed one million free hybrid coffee seedlings across Ghana.

About 50,000 of those seedlings were sent to John Francois’ incubator in Ghana’s Eastern Region, where Tetteh Quarsie’s original cocoa farm still stands.

The ‘native son of Akuapem’ reviving coffee in his home region and beyond

I met John Francois by accident at World of Coffee Copenhagen (June 2024) when I nearly spilled coffee on him at an exhibitor booth. To salvage the situation, I asked what brought him to the event—and learned that this animated yet down-to-earth stranger was a key figure in coffee revitalization in Akuapem Ridge and an inspiring presence for many Ghanaians in coffee. He had come to Copenhagen in partnership with the ITC A4A.

John is the founder of Asili Coffee Purveyors Ltd, a COCOBOD-licensed coffee dealer established in 2015, as well as the Akuapem Coffee Growers Association and the Akuapem Coffee Incubator. Asili collaborates with national and international organizations to train Akuapem smallholders in planting, harvesting, and processing coffee. Using a contract farming model facilitated by the GIZ Agribusiness Program, Asili guarantees farmers a buyer for their crop. It also manages post-harvest processing and trades green and roasted coffee for local and international markets.

The project aligns with COCOBOD’s goals to diversify from cocoa. Asili’s partnership with COCOBOD aims to benefit youth, who make up 65 per cent of Akuapem’s population of 250,000, by reducing risks associated with coffee cultivation and lowering barriers to entry.

A self-identified ‘native son of Akuapem,’ John notes that his grandfather was a town mayor who dealt in coffee, but ‘it didn’t catch on. [...] I was trying to find purpose, and sometimes destiny steers you in a certain direction.’ After university, John began teaching at a community development school while drafting a business plan. ‘I believed that coffee could [catalyse] change [and help] people break the glass ceiling of poverty,’ he says.

John’s family provided seed capital and land for his first hectare in 2018. Early association members planted their own coffee in 2019. As of 2025, there are over seventy acres planted. ‘I considered last year a success when we harvested close to three tonnes,’ he says, noting that one farmer has seen over a 20-per-cent increase in his earnings. He is inspired by his father’s work as Ghana’s longest-serving chief conservator of forestry. ‘If sustainability is part of our DNA early on, I hope it becomes second nature,’ he says.

Though Asili, the growers association, and the incubator are separate entities, John says they work closely in a complex he built for this purpose. As the project grows, he navigates the evolving interests of Asili and the association: the contract farming agreement, which stipulates follow-up every two years, will be renegotiated early due to rising coffee prices in 2025.

John’s overarching goal is to support the livelihoods of association members while increasing coffee production in Akuapem. ‘My target is at least 1,000 acres farmed by smallholders over the next 10 to 15 years,’ he says. He also wants to ensure long-term engagement. ‘When growers are asked if they want to remain members of this association and beneficiaries of this incubator,’ he says, ‘they need to respond, “Hell yeah!” because they’re making good money and feel appreciated.’

The ‘coffeepreneur’ building a sustainable ecosystem for all players

Benedicta, self-taught in coffee, grew up in Ho West, Volta Region. She first harvested coffee cherries on a community member’s farm during a school break in Accra, having never seen coffee beans before. She noticed cafes starting to open surprised to see ‘brown’ coffee served with milk foam. ‘As kids, we didn’t see the sales being made, but we knew the coffee was gone. I never [connected] the two,’ she reflects.

Traditionally, coffee consumption in Ghana involves hand-milling and roasting it over an open fire, then boiling and straining. However, most drink instant coffee—something Benedicta aimed to change when she registered Bean Masters in 2018. ‘I decided to form a business around my aunties after they expressed their challenges with the harvest,’ she says. ‘I thought I could help them with my background in business management and economics by becoming a first-point buyer and attracting other exporters and roasters.’

Recognizing that many farmers faced similar challenges, Bean Masters formed the Sustainable Coffee Farmers Association in Ho West. The collective of 200 farmers, 60 of whom are women, produced around 10 tonnes of coffee in 2022. It’s the exclusive source of Bean Masters coffee, which Benedicta roasts at her factory in Accra. She also allocates 10 per cent of net profits towards women’s farms, providing financial support for harvesting, training on recognizing ripe cherries, and offering shelters so for farmers to meet when it rains.

Type of coffee produced: Robusta thrives in Ghana, and the state regulator promotes hybrid coffee plants that can resist pests and disease. There is also limited experimentation with liberica. | Coffee yields: A 2018 report from the International Coffee Organization put Ghana’s average coffee production at below 1,000 tonnes, compared to over 900,000 for cacao. Coffee production covers 17,000 hectares (42,000 acres), with an estimated average yield of 300 kg per hectare (270 lbs per acre) for smallscale farmers and over 1.5 tonnes per hectare (1,340 lbs per acre) for large farms.

Benedicta also incorporates elements of the circular economy into her operations. The association promotes intercropping coffee trees with citrus, cassava, and xylopia (a spice called Grains of Selim), supporting economic diversification, enhancing biodiversity, and preventing erosion. Farmers use coffee chaff as mulch or convert it into potash for making black soap, benefiting household needs and generating supplementary income.

‘If coffee is the resource I have to impact the lives of farmers in my network, then I need to connect my head, heart and hand to it,’ Benedicta says, adding, ‘but I can’t do it alone.’ Collaboration with farmers, hospitality businesses, and baristas who grow and serve Bean Masters coffee is crucial to her vision. ‘I am always connecting our places in the ecosystem [...] to ensure my neighbour grows well. Transferring knowledge and sharing feedback [allows us] to achieve our goals together,’ she says.

Coffee fit for the Ghanaian palate; hospitality fit for an international audience

Jamestown Coffee Co. is named after one of the oldest districts in Accra, overlooking the Gulf of Guinea and surrounding colonial forts built by the British and Dutch. Its logo features the Jamestown lighthouse above the words, ‘Made in Ghana’. Founder Kwasi Osei-Kusi began studying robusta in 2015 to create a space serving Ghanaian coffee tailored to the local palate. He assembled a small team to roast coffee for local supermarkets in an abandoned warehouse in Accra’s Osu neighbourhood, which became a cafe in late 2020. As demand grew, he opened a second cafe in East Legon.

Today, Jamestown’s team is shaping the modern Ghanaian coffee experience. Alongside familiar double-shot espresso drinks, the menu features two signature drinks named after Accra neighbourhoods: Kaneshie coffee and Labadi iced latte. The former is made with espresso and sweetened condensed milk served hot or over ice, while the latter combines espresso, sweetened condensed milk, and crushed ice.

These drinks cater to the Ghanaian preference for sweetness and curiosity about coffee. ‘It’s one of the reasons Jamestown is making waves. We are introducing coffee culture while making it relatable,’ says Marketing Manager Karen Gyan-Davies.

According to Head Roaster and Barista Kelvin Nii Addo, not all coffee shops serve Ghanaian beans. ‘All our coffee is locally sourced from Volta Region,’ Kelvin explains. ‘When people come, they know this is authentic Ghanaian coffee.’

Coffee-growing regions: Eastern, Central, Ashanti, Western North, Western, Bono, Ahafo, Volta, and Oti Regions. As of 2020, Ghana has 16 regions, which are further divided into 260 local metropolitan, municipal, and district assemblies for administrative purposes. | Harvest: October to September, with planting in May at the onset of rains.

‘The moment you taste it, it resonates with your palate,’ says East Legon Manager Joseph Quartey. ‘It’s like you’re in a crowd and hear someone speak your language. You don’t feel lost anymore.’ He encourages visitors, whether Ghanaians or tourists, to try something new. ‘If you want your Americano or your espresso, okay, you can have it. But let’s try this first. Maybe you’ll even thank me later,’ he says.

Bartholomew Jones, co-founder of Cxffeeblack, a Memphis-based coffee company and social enterprise, met Kelvin, Benedicta, and John while visiting Ghana for the Black Star Line Festival, where Cxffeeblack hosted a coffee pop-up with Kawa Mocha. He says Jamestown’s coffee surprised him. ‘It was surprisingly viscous and incredibly sweet, especially on espresso,’ he says. ‘This is coming from someone who has never had an intentional experience with robusta outside of Folgers.’

Bartholomew, who researches pre-colonial African coffee cultures to revitalize coffee culture in the African diaspora, is encouraged by how Jamestown and others are ‘shifting the coffee narrative from colonial restitution to one of indigenous heritage, ownership, and pride.’ However, he acknowledges that the rise of Ghanaian coffee is constrained by ongoing debates about robusta’s place in specialty. ‘When we first announced we were going to Ghana, people commented, “There’s no such thing as fine robusta,”’ he says. ‘And I was like, yo, where is your curiosity? Where is the childlike joy that excited us all to challenge preconceived notions in coffee?’

He believes that the industry should invest in African coffee production methods and species, like robusta and liberica, that have been overlooked. ‘We have an opportunity,’ he says, ‘if we’re willing to honour coffee’s various roots, even if they don’t fit the primary narratives about where good coffee comes from.’

Today, Ghana exports cocoa, gold, and sawn wood, among other agricultural products, primarily to the European Union (especially the Netherlands), the USA, and the United Arab Emirates.

‘Awaken the giant’: challenges and opportunities in Ghana

Cacao has a tremendous influence on Ghana’s economy, while coffee’s impact is still nascent—but that’s exactly what gives Ghanaians the chance to shape coffee’s role as a cash crop and social culture from the ground up. ‘The outlook for coffee is very promising,’ Benedicta says. She believes that farmers need ongoing training to maintain consistent quality ‘so Ghana can be known all over.’

Ghanaian coffee advocates are working to establish an indigenous coffee culture. Vertically integrated approaches, like those of John and Benedicta, in partnership with organizations that protect smallholders’ rights are crucial for developing the value chain for Ghanaian coffee, along with in-country post-harvest processing and roasting. Several roasters see promising export opportunities in the Middle Eastern market.

As production increases, Kelvin hopes for a collaborative governance model for coffee between COCOBOD and the private sector, enabling entities like Jamestown to work directly with farmers. Karen notes that Jamestown’s ‘made in Ghana’ approach has fuelled growth through word of mouth and Instagram, illustrating how coffee can be ‘part of [a] lifestyle.’ At the same time, Asili plans to enter Ghana’s energy drink market in 2025: as part of its partnership with COCOBOD to promote Ghanaian coffee consumption, the company will launch a ready-to-drink coffee beverage sold through solar-powered kiosks at filling stations.

Meanwhile, Bean Masters has captured Ghana’s long-term coffee ambitions in its Nyorgbo blend, a portmanteau of the Ewe phrase nyor agbo, meaning ‘awaken the giant’. Benedicta believes coffee in Ghana is a sleeping giant with the ‘massive potential to increase household income and [improve the] quality of life for rural coffee farmers, especially women.’ She adds that, ‘Every child should hear about coffee the way they hear about cacao.’