Cameroon's Richest Woman Loses Cocoa Export Crown After Cargill Split

For more than two decades, Kate Fotso was the dominant force in Cameroons cocoa trade. Her company, Telcar Cocoa, supplied beans to U.S. agribusiness giant Cargill and consistently topped the countrys export tables. That era has ended. Telcars purchases plunged in the 20242025 season, down more than 50 to 32,406 tons from 65,468 tons the year before, according to data from the National Cocoa and Coffee Board ONCC. The fall pushed Telcar to third place among exporters, with a 10.4 market share, behind SIC Cacaos at 14.9 and Sbet at 11.9. The decline followed Telcars split with Cargill in early 2025, ending a partnership that had defined Cameroons cocoa sector for two decades. People close to the matter say disagreements over revenue-sharing and compliance with sustainability standards proved decisive. Cargill, which controls about 20 of the global cocoa trade, has tightened its focus on child labor prevention and anti-deforestation measures. Telcar struggled to meet those demands, leaving the U.S. group to shift its business to other partners. Fotso, one of Cameroons most influential business figures, had turned Telcar into a powerhouse by aligning closely with Cargill. That relationship gave her unrivaled access to international markets and cemented her reputation as the countrys cocoa queen. Her personal wealth grew in tandem with Telcars market dominance, and she became one of the richest women in francophone Africa. But the split has altered that trajectory. Telcars share of Cameroons export volumes fell to 15.7, or 30,497 tons, in the latest campaign, down from more than 35 in each of the two previous seasons. Rival Sbet surged ahead with 18.7 of the market, equal to 36,215 tons, becoming Cameroons top exporter for the first time. The change marks a turning point not just for Telcar, but for Cameroons cocoa trade as a whole. The country is the worlds fifth-largest producer, and the ONCC has been under pressure to improve transparency and sustainability in a sector that employs hundreds of thousands of small farmers. For Fotso, the challenge now is whether Telcar can reinvent itself without the Cargill partnership that defined its rise.