In 2022, Cameroonian producers of chocolate and other cocoa-based products shipped a total of 3,338 tons overseas. According to the national stats agency INS, these international sales generated an estimated CFA6.3 billion in revenue, slightly higher than the CFA6.2 billion earned in 2021 from exporting 3,300 tons of products.
Despite the growth of locally made chocolates in Cameroon, produced by SMEs and artisans increasingly venturing into cocoa processing, the production and marketing of chocolate and cocoa-derived products in Cameroon remain dominated by multinational corporations. The leading player is Chococam (Chocolateries and Confectioneries of Cameroon), a subsidiary of the South African group Tiger Brands. Beyond the Cameroonian market, its chocolates and other products, known for their high cocoa content, are highly valued in the Central African region and even in West Africa (Nigeria).
Cameroon also hosts a chocolate production unit of the Italian group Ferrero, whose products are widely available in Cameroonian shops and throughout the Central African region, unlike the chocolates produced by Plantations du Haut Penja (PHP), which are mainly exported to the European market.
This subsidiary of Compagnie Fruitière de Marseille, a leader in banana production in Cameroon, began processing cocoa between 2015 and 2017, on a 150-hectare plantation. With its processing unit located in the town of Njombe, PHP produces chocolate under the brand “Ateliers des Cinq Volcans”.