 I was actually in banking, so I was in asset management at EcoBank Capital. You were in banking and you started to enter into coffee farming? Yes. Yes. That's incredible, man. Can you eat this raw? Okay, so because they're unwashed, I wouldn't advise it. No, don't worry, I'm from the village. They're really sweet, actually. Is this like cocoa? Well, in terms of the fact that it has a sweet pulp, then yes. I know coffee is bitter, so... Coffee is bitter after it's been roasted, so that's the actual seed that you're tasting. But as you can see here, if you just pop it open, the pulp in here, right? And the membrane around the seed, it's all sweet. Even the husk is sweet as well. Really? High sugar content. Some of these, when we were picking the coffee, I told you to be careful for the ants. Because they love this. It's sweet. Yeah, it's just like eating cocoa beans. But make sure you don't swallow. Yes, of course. And don't eat too much of it as well. Welcome back to the E-team channel to your favorite village boy, Mr. Ghana Baby. And I'm back again with another video. Let me tell you something. I was born and raised in Ghana, but I never knew that Ghana grows coffee. Shame on me. Let me know. If you are Ghana out there, did you know that Ghana grows coffee? Oh my goodness. All I knew was cocoa. So, you know, I uploaded a video when I went to Kenya. I went to a coffee farm for the first time. And people were like, you mean this is your first time of seeing a coffee bean? I was like, yes. You know what? I kind of got so much for Africa to the world because it's exposing me to certain things that I never knew that it exists. I was amazed of seeing a coffee bean for the first time. So, somebody left a comment on my video and told me that hey Maya, whenever you come to Ghana, I will take you to a coffee farm. I got to Ghana and this guy introduced me to his friend. And his friend have a coffee farm. So, he came to pick me up from a car. We drive through the beautiful Ebrey Mountains. And then we go to Equiapim, which is in the eastern region of Ghana. Such a beautiful place. I think I'm a big fan of mountains. We took a tricycle in Ghana. They call it Avoboya on this beautiful road. And then we switched to an entire road. Man, it was so bumpy and scary. But thank God we arrived at our destination. And where this guy took me, you see this building that you seen on your screen. It has been in existence for over 150 years. And this is where this guy is growing his coffee. And you know what we always do? I'm here to learn. So, I need to speak to him. He is going to let us know that it's possible to grow coffee in Ghana. Come with me. Let's talk to this amazing young gentleman. I am Maya. You know I never knew coffee, they grow coffee in Ghana. Yeah, yeah, yeah, we do. How? You know that actually coffee has been grown in Ghana for a long time. Long, long, long, long time. The only issue is that coffee has been cocoa's, let's say neglected cousin. Neglected cousin, that is why I don't know. Exactly, exactly, exactly. So over in recent years, efforts are now being made to look at the coffee sector in and of itself as a source of income as well for the country of course. So we don't rely so heavily on cocoa. Are there places that grow coffee in Ghana? Yes, yes, yes. Coffee loves mountains. You know, coffee loves altitude. So altitude, cool climates, that's just what coffee needs. Now understand why I can only find coffee in a crappie. Well, not just in a crappie actually. Really? Yes. Coffee actually grows. We have some in Brong Ahafo. We have some in Kewu. We have some in the Volta. Really? Yes, yes, yes. So what's special about the Aquapim area is because it's actually, so since basically colonial times when the missionaries were around, coffee hasn't really been explored so deeply. It hasn't been cultivated to any serious extent in this area. So we are kind of reigniting the sector here and basically trying to install once and for all the complete value chain here. Because we believe that it's effectively a great source of... It's a great commercial driver for a development as well as a socio-economic change. Let me know how many acres have you grown so far? Okay, so currently as you know we are the Aquapim Coffee Growers Association. We have an association of growth. We have an association. Yeah, yeah, yeah, we do. How many people are you in the association? Wow! Look, so overall we're probably around 100 farmers but this is a consolidation of different kinds of people who play different roles. So it's like anybody involved in the coffee sector at all based in the Aquapim area. So even if you're a processor, you're a farmer, you're an investor, you're all involved, you know, you're all members of the association. So close to 100 people overall. So how many acres do you guys have right now? Around, so approximately between 85 to about 102 acres at the moment. So we're mapping currently so that we can get the cultivated lands more accurately. Now this is one of the challenges that we are facing. You took me to a place where you said this place has been in existence for over 150 years. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So that was your first farm? Actually, that was the first farm that I've ever cultivated. That is actually one of my ancestors' village. Who was the former Okuapehene? Oh, okay. Yeah, so this is a long, long, long, long time ago. So effectively he died and the place has kind of deteriorated since then, right? So effectively I see or saw it then as the perfect opportunity to explore what it is that we are preaching. You know, a proof of concept to show that indeed coffee can be used as a driver for rural development and socio-economic change, right? So as you can see today, we did have to take Aboboya. But there's actually a path there now. Okay. So there was no road to this route. So it's because of your coffee farm over there? Correct. That's why... Correct, correct, correct. So for example, just a couple of days ago we had tourists coming in from the African American Association, right? So basically the influx of tourists, the harvest period, generally it's going to push infrastructure, right? Because the more people are coming there, the more there's even a financial incentive to be able to install such structures, you know? You know, you're not even telling me what your name is because your friend introduced you to me. Please can you tell me your name and where you're from? Okay, so my full name per my passport is John Nanado Francois. Okay. Yes, that's my full name. Born and raised in Ghana? Correct, born and raised in Ghana. So... You became a banker? Well, actually I started out in asset management at Akuban Capital. Okay. And then of course I stopped to delve into some research into the coffee sector. I got support from family to engage in these researches around the world. In Tanzania, I was in Singapore. I went all the way to Bali in Indonesia as well to explore different coffee sectors and different niches that people are using to kind of drive their coffee initiatives. So I started research maybe somewhere in 2013. Okay. By 2015, I was kind of ready to go. And that's when I first registered the Asili Coffee Perveys Company. Yes. So we got our first warehouse in Doma Hinkru actually. Oh. Yes. We were then exploring the trade of the coffee. So that's when I had my cocoa board license actually. Because you know you need to be licensed to actually buy and trade coffee in Ghana. What has been the major challenge for this type of farming in Ghana? Because I know cocoa will have a lot of support. What about coffee? What is the major challenge that you face in this farming? Coffee, the problem I have faced has been kind of twofold. Coffee in and of itself, as it's been a neglected crop, it's been difficult to get traction. Okay. But secondly as well, the last time coffee was cultivated here, it was years ago in colonial times actually. That's in the Aquapim area. On my mother's side actually, one of our ancestors, J.S. Martinson, was planting in Ahaban Ting. And I believe that the missionaries were also planting the same. That's the Presbyterian Training College. Also planting then. But since then, no one has really explored the sector. So we are now pioneering a shift, you know, and we are doing so in totality. So we are effectively installing the complete value chain. So we are trying to get the coffee all the way from ground to finished product into cup immediately. But you mean you grow and process coffee right here? Yes, now we do. Now we do. To finish product? Now we do. Yes. Now we do. Can you take me to where you do that? Of course I can. Oh my goodness, but I just like how this coffee looks like. So it means when it's green from the beginning, then it becomes red. Yes, correct. And this white is the... That's the flower. Oh, before it shows up, yeah? Of course. And as you can see here, have a look at this. You notice that some of the beans are green and others are red, right? So coffee doesn't naturally ripen at once. Okay. Yes, so it has to be gradually picked through if you want to maintain your quality levels. Of course, if it's just commercial, then a lot of farmers just basically pull it all out with both the ripe and the unripe cherries, but this harms your quality. Yes, the final cup quality is affected. Take me where you process the coffee. I really want to see that. We'll do. Thank you. We'll do. Welcome. Thank you. Whoa, it's not good in here. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Hi. Man, you've got beautiful women as coffee. Hi. Hi. How are you doing? I'm doing fine. What are you doing? Good. Bro, he told me that it's going to be my first time from raw material to final coffee. So please, I'm giving this to you. Would you like me to get my coffee before I get out of here? Yes, you can be able to get your coffee. Thank you. Not this one. Oh. This one is fresh and it has to go through a lot of process and people. Get your final product like this one. Yes. How long does it take before you get this one? Roughly like a week. A week or two, yes. A week or two. And what happens to this one? So this is now processed in the roaster. Okay. And that's when you get the brown coffee beans that are then ground and packaged into your finished products. You mean this? That's actually the stuff you drink. This is coffee. No, understand why coffee is bitter. Ah, exactly. So what process? Is this the final process or something? So basically it's now cooling. So what happens is that after the post harvest methods are applied to the red cherries that you had before, we get them in the green bean form. It then goes through into the hopper. It goes into the roaster. And then after we've gotten the desired roast profile, it's released here. Now, when it gets here, it's really hot. Sometimes bean temperature can be between 207 to 230 degrees Celsius. So what you're seeing now is it's currently being spread around by this turbine. And there's also a lot of air that's blown from underneath to help to cool the beans. Incredible, man. From the raw material to the finished product. Finished product. Will I be able to get one and take it home? You'll get two. Two? Ask for one, get one free. Exactly. Which means that this is the coffee beans. Do you guys grind it because some of the coffees are grinder? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, we actually have a packaging station where we have the coffee ground through a grinder and then it's packaged and then it's sealed and then it's ready for market. You want to ask you a question which has nothing to do with coffee? Sure. I want to know corporate work or entrepreneurship? So originally I was in Ecobank. I was at Ecobank capital and asset management. That was good. But see, I prefer the level of impact that the work I'm doing now has. So I've always, I mean, I'll always be an entrepreneur at heart if I've answered your question. Yeah. Will you encourage more African youth to enter entrepreneurship? So what I can do is say yes. If you have the right ideas and you have the right tools to deliver, then yeah for sure get into it. It's not easy but I mean it's the future, right? It's the future and entrepreneurship is the basis of a lot of companies or the genesis of a lot of companies. After a while it's of course corporatized underneath the original founder. So for us to progress more we need a lot of this. We need a lot of entrepreneurs. We need a chance to change one thing in Africa. To be honest with you, I'll say maybe Africa rather than because it's not a problem that's isolated to only Ghana. I wish that we could kind of accelerate our gap with the West, for example, in terms of our structures and systems. Because we're all fairly young nations on the continent. We still have a ways to go in terms of developing our infrastructure, putting together our systems, etc. And this long growth period of course kind of means that a lot of the time there are structural issues where great ideas cannot always be effectively executed on continent because of this structural gap. So if I could do anything I would just accelerate our growth period. But then again they say slow growth leads to character building. So what can we say? Are you selling the coffee? Oh I think C is selling it. Hi! Are you selling the coffee? I wanted to... He told me he's giving one but I have so many people watching us right now. I would like to sell this coffee today. Should I put a number on the screen so that people can order? Yes of course, of course you should. And how many can you produce in a month? We can do about two or three tons fairly easily. That's maybe five, ten thousand bucks like these we can do monthly without a problem. We go for wholesale right? Yes of course we go for wholesale. And of course as I mentioned to you earlier on, we are developing the final products for the aquarium areas. Because as I told you before our first harvest in the aquarium area is this year. So we will soon be taking our raw materials from the aquarium area only to the various state institutions for analysis and registrations and distribution on the local market. If you are watching this video and you want to order a coffee, let me know. I'm going to sell this coffee myself because I think he's not ready to sell his own product right now. So reach out to me and then let's support the brother's business. It's by force as we always know. Order in large quantities and you can also be like a supplier. You buy from them and then supply to other people. Thank you so much for watching. Thank you so much for being with me, seeing coffee for the first time. And you know how we always do it. Like and subscribe. Thank you so much for continuing.