The Ghana Climate Innovation Centre’s Cohort 6 is made up of an excitingly diverse group of entrepreneurs, one of which is Midunu, a lifestyle company that celebrates Africa’s cultural and culinary heritage.

The name, Midunu, is an Ewe word which means ‘Let us eat’, inviting all those present to partake in the food  being served.  Midunu’s goal is to create experiences where culture, traditions, community, and cuisine, intersect and unite, using both old techniques handed down by generations, and new ones that enhance the experience, using local, seasonal, and underutilized traditional grains and proteins to deliver healthy meals that should be accessible to all.

The founder, Selassie Atadika, holds a Master’s degree from Columbia in International Affairs, which took her on trips through several African countries, whilst working for the United Nations.  These trips exposed her to the rich stories of the origin of cuisines she encountered as well as the injustices that plagued food systems throughout the continent. Selassie was moved to introduce her “New African Cuisine” to her home in Ghana which brings together local, seasonal, and under-utilized ingredients to the forefront in the dishes she started creating.

Midunu was launched with Nomadic pop – up dining experiences in different locations in and around Accra, offering a multi-course menu. Off and on-site private dining, either at the bespoke Midunu House or at the client’s venue of choice, were also another to offer unforgettable culinary experiences.

Not losing sight of her desire to impact in the fight against food insecurity, Selassie actively involves herself in research and collaborations across the continent, to bring together people from the food and agriculture space to share inspiration, create connections and work together, by tapping into the continent’s rich and abundant food traditions, ingredients, and systems, to educate and make the changes in the Ghanaian food system.

Rooted in a country with a cocoa heritage dating back to 1879, Midunu also expanded into the development of artisanal handcrafted chocolates, using Ghanaian cocoa, and featuring the flavors and essences of Africa found in fruits, spices, coffee, teas, and herbal infusions. Selassie saw a gap in the market for quality, handmade chocolates, made from one of the most popular tree crops  grown in Ghana for both export and local consumptions.  It is key to note that the export of Ghanaian chocolates has dropped since 2018 and in 2020, imports of chocolates exceeded exports, and the production of cocoa beans has only grown minimally.

Source: www.statista.com

According to research carried out by selinawamucii.com Ghana exported 6,817 tons of chocolate in 2019 but in the same year, the interest in processed chocolate from Ghana shrunk by around 45% compared to year 2018. Overall, between 2017 and 2019, chocolate’s exports decreased by -41.24%.

With limited processing of cocoa done in-country, jobs are lost to this multi-billion-dollar industry. www.africafeeds.com reported in 2019 that Ghana’s Cocobod, the agency that coordinates the Cocoa production sector, revealed that processing of the commodity from its raw form into other products had increased from 23 to 34 percent. Ghana was projecting to have about 50 percent of its cocoa processed into refined products such as Chocolate and Cocoa beverages and in 2021 it was reported that production had increased to 40%. With limited processing of cocoa done in-country, jobs are lost to this multi-billion-dollar industry and smaller artisanal companies like Midunu are helping to bridge the gap.

Midunu chocolates has since gone on to win the 2021 International Chocolate Alliance Award.  The inspiration for each of Mindunu’s chocolates comes from different parts of the continent and is reflected in the name given to each truffle; names of African women who are culinary custodians throughout the continent, like Kukua. The range has since expanded to include drinking chocolate, bar and gourmet treats and candles.

The Ghana Climate Innovation Centre, over a period of nine (9) months, has worked with Mindunu to build capacity with its “High-Value Mini MBA” program specially curated in partnership with Coursera to develop business acumen.  The overall incubation program  comprises  Portfolio management, Market growth and Access, Access to finance, Investor readiness program, Climate smart technology and product development, Environmental and social safeguards, and the Women Entrepreneurs Transformation Program (www.ghanacic.com). This led to Miduni’s commitment to work towards drastic energy savings in developing the best possible quality chocolates and therefore a pitch for a grant to under the program secured Midunu a tempering machine and magnetic molds.  The tempering machine ensures that Midunu is producing the highest possible quality of chocolate due to a higher melting point and smaller crystals. The machine also ensures a reduction in water and power used of up to about 80% compared to a traditional temper machine. It also ensures longer shelf life of the chocolates, a reduction of production costs as well as the ability to achieve environmental and or energy reduction targets.

Magnetic chocolate molds are also specially designed to give chocolates unique and colorful decorations. Molds consists of 2 distinct parts: a polycarbonate frame with integrated magnets and a removable metal bottom plate with a transfer sheet with colored cocoa butter or food ink for various logos, designs and messages placed between the frame and the bottom plate to transfer the designs.

It is important to note that chocolate manufacturer, Ritter Sport is the first major international manufacturer of chocolate bars to adopt a new energy management system that cut its energy consumption by an additional 1.5 percent each year whilst general improvements on energy waste can reduce contributions to global warming potential by chocolates by 14%-19% (https://www.ritter-sport.com/history_alt).  Other key areas to address that could significantly address GWP are water use, of which over 10,000 liters are needed to produce a kilogram of chocolate and land use, which could improve GWP by 3–4 times if significant changes are made.

During their incubation, Midunu’s revenue grew by 19% between Q1 and Q2 and we believe that with energy savings, a reduction in water and longer product shelf life, there will be an overall reduction in production costs which will allow the business to increase its revenue year on year.

Selassie will be continuously looking at how she can keep on embracing sustainability in her business streams, and we look forward to celebrating her wins.

RESOURCES

• statista.com
• https://www.selinawamucii.com/insights/market/ghana/chocolate/ states
• Ghana Climate Control Website gcic.org
• https://www.ritter-sport.com/history_alt
• https://us.midunuchocolates.com/
• http://midunu.com/