Akwaaba - welcome - to this peaceful haven at the heart of the cocoa growing community of New Koforidua, Africa's first Fair Trade Town.
Built in 2011, the house has undergone extensive refurbishments in 2024 and is run as a social enterprise to benefit the community.
Offering comfortable accommodation, the house lies around 45 minutes drive from the historic city of Kumasi and near rainforest and nature walks.
Learn from those who grow the cocoa for your favourite chocolate treats.
The space
As you walk up the steps and cross the verandah, entering the spacious living area you will find tiled floors and two powerful ceiling fans cooling the room. A large comfortable sofa and coffee table dominate the space, your communal area for eating, drinking, relaxing and playing some of the board games provided. The walls feature display boards explaining the history of the place and the Fairtrade movement.
The three bedrooms are off the living room, two double rooms and a twin, which contains two double beds. The accommodation is intended to be simple but welcoming - rugs and basic white furniture give you everything you need. All the bedrooms have adjustable ceiling fans to aid your sleep. The bedding has been made by a local seamstress, and will be laundered by local people after your stay - let us know if you want clean bedding while you're with us.
The kitchen, toilet and shower are accessed from a corridor which is the fourth door off the living room. The kitchen has plenty of storage space, a kettle, toaster and fridge, and we have provided Fairtrade tea and coffee.
The toilet and shower are tiled, but date from 2011 and have not yet undergone refurbishment. The shower is a traditional bucket and pail shower, to save water - Africa's most precious resource.
The fifth door off the living room leads to the chocolate kitchen. We think this is the only place in West Africa where farmers and their families can bring their own cocoa beans and make chocolate and other products, to increase their incomes. We are using your room fees to equip the kitchen for the use of everyone in the community.
Guest access
You will have exclusive use of the house apart from the cocoa kitchen which is under development
Other things to note
Please note that there is no WiFi at the property
Water pressure can be challenging as it comes from a poly tank next to the property but we are working to fix this.
You may find that some of the trees have been pollarded which is done by the local community to create incomes from selling charcoal - don't worry this is good for the trees and keeps them healthy!
