Transforming the Cocoa Industry with Faith and Fairness

How one woman's journey from corporate boardrooms to cacao farms is reshaping the chocolate
supply chain with prayer, purpose, and powerful partnerships.
When most people think of chocolate, they think of indulgence. For Kim Wilson, chocolate is also a
mission: a tool for justice, sustainability, and transformation. As the founder of the Cocoa Future
Collaborative and the driving force behind the brand Good King, Kim has spent years navigating
the jungles of Southeast Asia, the complexities of international trade, and the quiet whispers of
divine direction. Her journey from wine executive to chocolate pioneer is a testament to what can
happen when faith meets action.

A Prayer That Changed Everything

Kim's story begins not with cocoa, but with a carpenter on a church mission trip in 2004. Watching
him build a staircase with purpose and precision, she whispered a prayer: "Lord, I wish you could
use my business skills like you're using his carpentry." Two weeks later, God answered with
astonishing clarity. She was introduced to the concept of business as mission at a church
conference and enrolled in a training program through Repurposing Business.
For the first time, she began reading the Bible seriously and inviting God into her professional life.
What followed were years of seeing the Lord move in boardrooms and budgets, revolutionizing
processes at the world's largest winery where she worked, through strategies that were not only
efficient but divinely inspired.

From Corporate to Cacao

In 2009, Kim prayed another bold prayer after reading about modern slavery: Lord, I want to be part
of the solution to bonded labor. Later that year, she received a vivid journal download describing a
product that was sustainable, manual-labor intensive, natural, savory, and globally appealing. It
wasn't until a friend mentioned the shocking presence of slave labor in the chocolate supply chain
that the pieces clicked. The product was cacao.
Unlike the many who enter the chocolate world for its flavor, Kim stepped in to fight injustice.

Answering the Call: Learning from the Ground Up

Gods direction was clear: start with prayer and then understand cacao farmers realities. Despite her
industry contacts, Kim found it nearly impossible to reach actual farmers due to the many middle
layers in the supply chain, a key contributor to farmer exploitation.
Eventually, she connected with a cacao processor in Indonesia. Her travels across farms exposed
her to the systemic challenges growers face: unfair wages, limited market access, and global
policies focused on doubling production rather than improving livelihoods.
What stood out was a divine whisper to process cacao closer to its origin. This would retain more
value locally, especially for women. Though farming was male-dominated, food processing opened
doors for women, creating new pathways for empowerment.
Empowering Women and Re-imagining Supply Chains
In one pivotal moment, Kim was told in prayer that she would work with women. Skeptical, she
recalled sitting in a male-dominated conference where she was the only woman present. Yet, when
she launched a pilot program in Indonesia, five women showed up to join, women she hadn't even
known existed in the industry.
She realized that by exporting raw cacao, we had unintentionally excluded women from participating
in the value chain. But processing at origin gave them a role: an income, a voice, and dignity.

Good King: Chocolate That Doesn't Melt or Exploit

From these revelations, Good King was born: a snack made from cacao beans with the health
benefits of chocolate but none of the exploitation. It doesn't melt, requires no slave labor, and has
been recognized by the Good Food Awards for taste and sustainability.
Yet in 2020, the pandemic and devastating floods forced a pause and a rethink. Kim noticed partner
communities were prioritizing local markets over exports, and rightly so. She realized that even her
well purposeful export goals had echoes of colonialism.
So, she pivoted.

A Collaborative Future: Business, Mission, and Philanthropy

Kim launched the Cocoa Future Collaborative, a nonprofit supporting makers in origin countries who
produce finished or semi-finished chocolate products and want to reach global markets. The model
blends business acumen with prayer, mentorship, and philanthropy to dismantle unjust systems with
integrity.
Today, the Collaborative works with 25 to 30 makers across 15 countries, primarily in Central and
South America. From helping them navigate FDA regulations to marketing support, the goal is clear:
empower local producers to thrive both locally and globally.

Faith at the Center

Though Kim's mission is deeply rooted in her Christian faith, not all of her collaborators share her
beliefs. Still, they share values: creativity, service, generosity, and health. In these common
grounds, she builds bridges. Many have even asked her to pray for them during hard times, drawn
by her sincerity and the tangible impact of divine guidance.
She also emphasizes the critical, often overlooked role that supportive men have played in
advancing women's leadership in Cacao from mentors to government allies. True transformation, she
believes, happens when men and women work together in mutual respect and purpose.
Final Words for Fellow Entrepreneurs
What if you don't hear God the way Kim seems to? She offers this advice:
Stand on the truth that God does know how to get through to you. He wants to speak to you more
than you want to hear Him. And if you feel like your spiritual radio isn't tuned in right now, surround
yourself with others who can lend you their faith.

Take Action:

• Learn more and donate: www.cocoofuture.org
• Host a chocolate tasting with friends or your small group.
• Connect Kim with chocolate makers at origin who need a path to the U.S. market.
  Closing Thought:
  Kim Wilson's story is proof that the cocoa industry, and the world, can be transformed with a heart
  fully aligned with God, a commitment to justice, and the courage to walk 2,000 cubits ahead, even
  when the path is unpaved.

https://www.youtube.com/live/HnO98VutW8I?si=DpSVMgivlXEdRMOD