Description

Colcocoa is a company dedicated to the export of high-quality, certified, and traceable cocoa from Colombia. Since its founding in 2012, Colcocoa has worked hand in hand with cocoa producers, associations, and cooperatives across multiple regions, including Huila, Antioquia, Norte de Santander, and Quindío. The company aims to promote inclusive prosperity while ensuring a positive environmental impact.

Through the Echar Pa'lante Program, Colcocoa has developed a rural prosperity program that supports farmers and their families in achieving better quality cocoa, higher productivity, and improved economic well-being. The program focuses on environmental integrity, social equity, and community happiness as fundamental pillars of continuous development. 

This funding campaign will support expanding working capital for trade, allowing cooperatives, communities, and farmers to better participate in global cacao markets.

Expanding working capital means:

• Faster and fair payments for farmers: In some regions, farmers have to wait weeks or even months to get paid after they've sold their cocoa. When Colcocoa works with cooperatives, they will have access to more working capital. Colcocoa can pay farmers promptly, helping them cover daily expenses, invest in their farms, and support their families without financial stress.
• More stability: Colcocoa and cooperatives connect farmers to the global market. To improve commercial chain stability, the promoter helps cooperatives deal with cash flow gaps when they can't afford to buy farmers' cocoa immediately. More working capital allows Colcocoa and cooperatives to purchase and store cocoa efficiently, ensuring farmers always have a reliable product buyer.
• Stronger local economies: When farmers and cooperatives have access to capital, money stays in the community. Farmers can pay workers, invest in farm improvements, and support local businesses, fostering a self-sustaining economic ecosystem. and services. This creates a stronger and more resilient regional economy.
• A more reliable and sustainable supply chain: Delayed payments can push farmers to sell to intermediaries at lower prices or abandon sustainable farming practices. With better working capital, cooperatives can offer fair prices and steady support, encouraging farmers to focus on quality and sustainability.

The Impact

Colcocoa implements a holistic program to ensure that its cocoa is certified, fully traceable and high-quality. But not only that, the company was built with prosperity and sustainability driven by community as its core. The company developed a voluntary standard which is verified independently on a yearly-basis called Echar Pa'lante that seeks measurable impact in six pillars: quality, productivity, economic well-being, environmental integrity, social equity and happiness.

Strengthen sustainable smallholder agriculture: over 1400 cocoa producers receive technical assistance to increase productivity levels, with integral environment practices, improving farmers’ financial health. The farmers get access to fair trade international markets and receive price premiums for fulfilling sustainability standards, increasing their income.

Implement sustainable and resilient food production systems, promoting responsible consumption: the cocoa is traceable and sustainable, attaining high social and environmental standards. The farmers receive capacity building training around agroforestry practices, climate smart and regenerative agriculture that protect biodiversity and reduce deforestation.

Promotion of fair work opportunities and higher productivity levels: Colcocoa’s approach is community-driven, based on social equity and happiness of the partner farmers. Colcocoa provides technical training and with the partnership the farmers can reach higher productivity, access to international markets and more stable financial health.

Contribution to the Sustainable
Development Goals

Sustainable Development Goals

Financial viability

Download the Financial Statements for the promoter here

Download Key Investment Information Sheet

Guarantees

The loans granted to the promoter COLCOCOA SARL by the investors will have the following guarantees, as set out in the loan agreements associated with the campaign:

• Personal guarantee, under Swiss law, from the quota-holder, María Gabriela Álvarez Pagola, with the following identification number 102.042.27, for the total amount of the debt;
• Corporate guarantee under Swiss law provided by H.H. Helvetia Holding SA, a Swiss corporation with registered address at Rue des Pilettes 1, 1700 Fribourg, and registration number CHE-254.159.163, for the total amount of the debt.

The Promoter

About COLCOCOA SARL

COLCOCOA SARL is a Swiss-based cocoa trading company.

Founded in 2013, Colcocoa was born from the shared vision of Juan Carlos Ardila, a Colombian with a family background in coffee production and trade, and Gabriela Alvarez, an Argentinian deeply passionate about rural development and social impact. Their goal was to build a commercially successful business and a driver of positive change in farming communities.

From the beginning, Colcocoa has prioritized building strong, mission-aligned partnerships with both farmers and international buyers. Over the past decade, the company has:

• Partnered with over 1,700 farmers and 17 cooperatives across Colombia.
• Established direct trade relationships with premium markets in Europe and beyond.
• Launched rural development-driven programs that improve farming conditions while promoting a positive environmental impact.

Colcocoa’s core activities include:

• Exporting high-quality, 100% traceable cocoa to global buyers.
• Providing technical assistance and training to smallholder farmers.
• Implementing rural development and environmental impact programs that align with global ethical sourcing standards.
• Driving community engagement through initiatives that improve farmer welfare and long-term economic stability.

Juan Carlos and Gabriela met as students in an international organization promoting global understanding and sustainable development. Their friendship had already spanned over a couple of decades when they decided to associate and dedicate their efforts to something they both believed in - a company whose business model could combine profit and purpose. Over the past ten years, the friendship has expanded to include farmers, cooperatives, clients, and a hard-working group at the heart of Colcocoa.

The team

Gabriela Álvarez

Co-founder

Co-founder of Colcocoa, Hacienda La Tentación, "Echar pa'lante," Plan T Reforestación, Fundación Terra Impulsum, and Latitude, promoting sustainability and prosperity. She holds a PhD in Business Administration and is a professor and program developer at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland.

Juan Carlos Ardila

Co-founder

He is a Colombian coffee and cocoa producer and marketer, a thinker, and a sustainability expert. As an entrepreneur, he is the founder of Cafexport and other companies, and a founding partner of Colcocoa, companies dedicated to the creation and distribution of value in the agricultural sector.

Pablo Aristizábal

Comercial Director

He is an expert in commercial strategies and market expansion. As Commercial Director of Cafexport Colombia, he leads the planning and execution of international sales strategies, ensuring the presence of these Colombian products in global markets.

Camilo Morales

Impact Director

Biologist with 10 years of experience collaborating with national and international cooperation agencies, implementing projects to promote impactful strategies in the rural sector that foster recognition of family integrity and improve living conditions in rural areas.

Jhon Valencia

Finance Director

Certified Public Accountant, Finance Specialist, and master’s degree in financial administration, with experience in accounting and financial management and 12 years of corporate experience. He is responsible for budget planning and execution, as well as treasury and liquidity control.

Business Model

Updates