Knowledge Hub

The craft behind the grade

Field-tested guides on agronomy, post-harvest, quality, certification and farm business - written for the people doing the work, not the conference room.

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The post-harvest trio - fermentation, drying, grading - is where most of a farm's price is won or lost.

01The six-day box fermentation protocol9 min read 02Sun drying that protects your grade7 min read 03Understanding grades: what inspectors look for6 min read

Post-HarvestStarter

The six-day box fermentation protocol

Break, box, cover, turn on day 3 and day 5, stop when the bean centre is brown. The whole protocol, with the checks that matter.

9 min read

Post-HarvestStarter

Sun drying that protects your grade

From 55% moisture to 7.5% in five to seven days - on raised tables, turned hourly, covered at night and before rain.

7 min read

Quality & GradingStarter

Understanding grades: what inspectors look for

Grade I, Grade II and sub-grade in plain language: bean count, moisture, mould, slate and foreign matter.

6 min read

EUDR & TraceabilityIntermediate

EUDR for cooperatives: geolocation, cut-off dates and due diligence

What the EU Deforestation Regulation actually requires from a Liberian cooperative, and the practical path to 'ready'.

11 min read

AgronomyIntermediate

Pruning and rehabilitating old cocoa farms

Most Liberian farms are old and shaded. Structured pruning and selective replanting can double yields in three seasons.

8 min read

Farm BusinessStarter

Record keeping that gets cooperatives financed

Lenders finance evidence. The four books a cooperative needs, and how they turn into working capital.

7 min read

CertificationIntermediate

Choosing a certification: Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade, Organic

What each label audits, what it costs, what it pays, and which buyers ask for it - a decision guide for member groups.

10 min read

The craft behind the grade

The six-day box fermentation protocol

Sun drying that protects your grade

Understanding grades: what inspectors look for

EUDR for cooperatives: geolocation, cut-off dates and due diligence

Pruning and rehabilitating old cocoa farms

Record keeping that gets cooperatives financed

Choosing a certification: Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade, Organic

When Liberia picks its cocoa

The craft behind the grade

The six-day box fermentation protocol

Sun drying that protects your grade

Understanding grades: what inspectors look for

EUDR for cooperatives: geolocation, cut-off dates and due diligence

Pruning and rehabilitating old cocoa farms

Record keeping that gets cooperatives financed

Choosing a certification: Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade, Organic