our company
As the first U.S. headquartered company growing organic cocoa in Liberia, we will introduce the world cocoa industry to Liberia as a high-quality producer of premium organic cocoa beans.
Our two owners, Joseph Urey (President), a Liberian national educated in the United States, and Andrew Gilboy (Vice-President), a U.S. citizen with extensive African experience, have joined forces in this exciting and challenging journey. We invite you to learn about our venture and join our team as investors and supporters.
our vision
our vision
Liberia known globally as a first-class producer of high-quality organic certified cocoa beans supporting thousands of smallholder farmers respecting international norms.
Today Liberia’s cocoa bean production is on a small scale and does not feature organic or sustainable farming. In contrast, Sierra Leone next door has become one of the fastest growing certified organic cocoa exporters. Liberia’s agricultural blessing of fertile soil and plentiful rainfall ideally suit it to organic cocoa farming just like its brother next door.
our mission
our mission
To build a sustainable, eco-friendly, socially-responsible company that can train and employ local farmers, dramatically increase their livelihoods, contribute to Liberia’s development objectives by growing certified organic cocoa for export to Europe, North America and elsewhere. Along the way, we will return a profit to investors, participate in community development and scale up operations to meet the soaring demand for high-quality organic cocoa.
what we've accomplished
where we're going
We’ve started drafting an aggressive 5-year plan that will demonstrate how we will transform our 50-acre plot into certified organic cocoa farm. That plan will include details on acreage to be planted per year, the harvest quantity beginning in Year 3, farm operational costs, farmer/employee training in organic cocoa agriculture, and return on investment through Year 5.
In order for our company to transition from pre-start-up phase to start-up, we will use the following 1-year plan to guide our way:
year one activity timeline
our activities for year one
January 1, 2022 – December 31, 2022
Q1
Core staff begins work full-time
Warehouse under construction
Nursery construction begins
Equipment procured
Local personnel hired
Perimeter security established
Community outreach begun
Q2
- Access road specs completed
- Nursery water system finished
- Organic cocoa seedlings procured and planted in nursery
- 5-year Business Plan completed and long-term financing solicitation begun
Q3
Cocoa trees pruned and nurtured
Land prepared for transplanting
Local farmers hired
On-site training begun in organic cocoa farming methods
Q4
Seedling transplanting completed
Weeding/monitoring underway
Organic certification process initiated
Future acreage prepared
CSR activities begun with local partnerships
At Liberia Organic Cocoa & Agricultural Company, we believe in harvesting high-quality premium organic cocoa beans sustainably and in tune with the natural environment.
Our organic cocoa production is rich in nutrients and grown without using fertilizers or hazardous chemicals in our soil. But, sustainability is at the core of our operations, our sustainable cocoa farms commit to no deforestation, no child labor, and are strictly fairtrade. We know how much damage can be done to the planet and farming communities by companies that only care about profits.
about us
senior leadership
Joseph Isaac Urey, Jr
Andrew Gilboy
senior liberia core team
We have selected our team scheduled to begin in January 2022 and have been working informally with them for several months. They have made three trips to the site and completed various agricultural assessments. The team includes an agricultural expert working as an independent consultant, a cocoa farming specialist who will be leaving his current employment, a well engineer with extensive experience in well-building and water systems, and an accountant/program manager. Two key team members will relocate to Bong County in the first quarter of 2022.
keep in touch
keep in touch
We operate internationally, so feel free to reach out to us from your location. If you’d like to do business with us, just send us a message.
Contact Details
Contact Details
Phone
(202) 301-5900
Ext 1 for Joseph Urey
Ext 2 for Andrew Gilboy
Fax
Address
Liberia Organic Cocoa & Agricultural Company
549 Brummel Court NW
Washington, DC 20012
