Moli

Father-of-four Moli, from the remote island of Malo, was one of 50 finalists from around the globe. Until a year ago, he’d never left the country and had limited success growing cocoa. However, aid and development agency World Vision has been working with his community to improve their farming techniques and link them with buyers willing to pay a fair price for their products.

The Cocoa of Excellence Programme announced the top 50 cocoa bean samples for 2017 from those submitted from 40 countries.

Moli, 44, shared his excitement at hearing the news, "I was pruning my cocoa trees and heard the sound of a text message on my phone. It was from Sandrine Wallez, the Director of  ACTIV Association (Alternative Communities Trade in Vanuatu). I read the text, which said my cocoa beans were in the top 50 in the world. I put down my phone and I cried. The news created a feeling in me of achieving self-reliance.”