Initiatives
Guyana Cocoa initiative
The Prince of Wales believes strongly in the advantages of organic farming and converted the Duchy Home Farm more than two decades ago.
When The Prince visited Guyana in 2000, he suggested redeveloping redundant cocoa plantations using organic farming methods. With help from The Prince’s Charitable Foundation (UK), the Guyanese Organic Cocoa Project was established.
Cocoa was once a major cash crop for the country but when The Prince visited he learnt that the cocoa industry had been redundant for 30 years.
The Prince suggested to the President of Guyana that he might like to revive cocoa production on the old plantations to provide top-quality chocolate for his organic food business, Duchy Originals.
The project – a cooperative of 26 Amerindian Farmers and their families – is now working toward organic status and will soon supply cocoa beans to Duchy Originals which gives all its profits to charity.