Cocoa360

What Matters

What Matters

Founding Story Community-powered

Founding Story Community-powered

Our founding story is one that’s steeped in the incredible power of community efforts. Our distinctiveness lies in the fact, from day 1, we have been fully powered by the communities we work with.

Long before our founder, Shadrack Frimpong, won the University of Pennsylvania’s President Engagement Prize in 2015 …

His community leaders met with me in 2014 to brainstorm interventions, designate land, and write a letter of support stating that they’d release over 50acres of land if he won the award.

And when he did, they paid 80,000GHcedis (~$20,000USD then from their coffers) as crop compensation for the farmers who worked on it prior.

Here is a brief clip of the chiefs and the late Queen-mother offering libations to pave way for construction in 2016.

Shadrack Osei Frimpong
Our Founder | Chief Steward

Shadrack Osei Frimpong
Our Founder | Chief Steward

“At age nine, I had an infection that nearly led to leg amputation because it took several months before my parents could find money to send me to the nearest hospital, five hours away. Years later, I would become the first person from my village to attend college in the United States, forever changing my life’s trajectory. I attended the University of Pennsylvania on full scholarship where I graduated with the $150,0000 President’s Engagement Prize (PEP). Together with Julian, Maxwell, Jacob, and Isaac, I returned home with a mission: work with my community to transform healthcare and education.”
Watch Shadrack’s story Video

A Mission Fueled by Friendship & Sacrifice Cocoa360’s founding was made possible thanks to the sacrificial support of Shadrack’s roommates in Philadelphia -- energetic young Ghanaians, who stood with him to get the vision established. Meet our founding team

Julian served as the Chief Finance Officer (CFO). He attended Tema International School and the University of Pennsylvania respectively. Julian’s level of commitment and sacrifice is unadulterated. Since Cocoa360’s inception, he’s taken on strategic oversight of our finances with the support of our Finance Director. Calm, charismatic, and disciplined.

Julian Addo

Nana Opoku was born and raised in Tema - Ghana. He studied Economics and Statistics at Swarthmore College, Philadelphia - USA. His life’s mission of — “Uniting people and creating One Afrika” has become a portal of evoking strong waves of self-reflection and encourages the self-efficacy needed to create a unified afro-consciousness and also won him a national contemporary art prize in 2017 with his interactive artwork, “Mobilizing Oneness”. Nana Opoku is responsible for our beautiful Cocoa360 logo, our first Cocoa360 website, among others. As an advisory member, he currently plays a consultancy role by sharing valuable knowledge, networks, resources, and designs to boost the look and feel of Cocoa360.

Isaac Nana Opoku

Tawiah hails from Jamestown in the Greater Accra region of Ghana. He attended Faith Montessori, Ghana International School, SOS-Hermann Gmeiner International College, and the University of Pennsylvania where he studied Economics and Consumer Psychology, respectively. His passion for ‘developing a sustainable supply chain to bring the world back to balance’ resonates with that of Cocoa360. At inception, Tawiah drove Cocoa360’s fundraising and partnership efforts. A perpetual optimist, he believes that it is never too late to recover from the pollution of the environment through self-sustainable Social Enterprises and models aimed at making indigenes financially free.

Tawiah William

Maxwell worked with Tawiah to steer partnerships and fundraising efforts, contributing to establishing and nurturing relationships and partnerships for our work at the Tarkwa Breman Center of Excellence (TBCE) Maxwell is also an alumnus of the University of Pennsylvania with a Degree in Bachelor of Arts (BA) - Mathematical Economics and Economics, 2011 – 2015. He is very passionate about building sustainable relationships and making lasting impacts.

Maxwell Sencherey

A Mission Fueled by Friendship & Sacrifice Cocoa360’s founding was made possible thanks to the sacrificial support of Shadrack’s roommates in Philadelphia -- energetic young Ghanaians, who stood with him to get the vision established. Meet our founding team

Julian Addo

Julian served as the Chief Finance Officer (CFO). He attended Tema International School and the University of Pennsylvania respectively. Julian’s level of commitment and sacrifice is unadulterated. Since Cocoa360’s inception, he’s taken on strategic oversight of our finances with the support of our Finance Director. Calm, charismatic, and disciplined.

Isaac Nana Opoku

Nana Opoku was born and raised in Tema - Ghana. He studied Economics and Statistics at Swarthmore College, Philadelphia - USA. His life’s mission of — “Uniting people and creating One Afrika” has become a portal of evoking strong waves of self-reflection and encourages the self-efficacy needed to create a unified afro-consciousness and also won him a national contemporary art prize in 2017 with his interactive artwork, “Mobilizing Oneness”. Nana Opoku is responsible for our beautiful Cocoa360 logo, our first Cocoa360 website, among others. As an advisory member, he currently plays a consultancy role by sharing valuable knowledge, networks, resources, and designs to boost the look and feel of Cocoa360.

Maxwell Sencherey

Maxwell worked with Tawiah to steer partnerships and fundraising efforts, contributing to establishing and nurturing relationships and partnerships for our work at the Tarkwa Breman Center of Excellence (TBCE) Maxwell is also an alumnus of the University of Pennsylvania with a Degree in Bachelor of Arts (BA) - Mathematical Economics and Economics, 2011 – 2015. He is very passionate about building sustainable relationships and making lasting impacts.

Tawiah William

Maxwell worked with Tawiah to steer partnerships and fundraising efforts, contributing to establishing and nurturing relationships and partnerships for our work at the Tarkwa Breman Center of Excellence (TBCE) Maxwell is also an alumnus of the University of Pennsylvania with a Degree in Bachelor of Arts (BA) - Mathematical Economics and Economics, 2011 – 2015. He is very passionate about building sustainable relationships and making lasting impacts.

Together, we can ensure a better life for the hardworking rural cocoa farmers.

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