Business group in ENB gets support
20 Oct 2025
What began as a determined family’s response to the devastating Cocoa Pod Borer (CPB) outbreak has grown into one of Gazelle District’s most inspiring grassroots success stories. Shadowers Cocoa Reviver Limited, a rural driven organization established in 2015, is transforming the lives of cocoa growing households and rebuilding an industry once brought to its knees.
When CPB spread across East New Britain between 2014 and 2015, thousands of smallholder farmers lost their main income source almost overnight. Among those affected were four brothers John Kola, Tonit Alex, Ervin Buaten, and Chairman Kola Nicholas whose family blocks faced severe decline. Turning adversity into action, they founded Shadowers Cocoa Reviver Limited with a mission to revive not only their own cocoa gardens, but the wider rural economy.
Before forming the organization, the brothers attended NGIP-Agmark’s cocoa rehabilitation trainings at Tokiala Plantation between 2012 and 2014. Equipped with new skills and guided by the realisation that many isolated farmers lacked access to training and planting materials, they established a model built on community empowerment, technical assistance and sustainable rehabilitation. Chairman Nicholas often reflects on the organisation’s guiding principle: “Reviving cocoa is reviving human life.”
From its early days supporting 150 farmers under the PPAP program and distributing nearly 300,000 seedlings, the organization grew steadily. By 2019, its farmer network had expanded to 500 as demand for budwood gardens, rehabilitation guidance, and nursery support increased.
Shadowers Cocoa Reviver now operates through five core objectives: • Strengthening rural leadership networks and seedling distribution systems • Maintaining sustainable cocoa production across communities • Improving living standards through restored agricultural income • Enhancing household cash flow for school fees, rituals, and daily needs • Supporting churches and community groups with income generated assistance
The organization uses a hands on approach, establishing satellite nurseries in hard to reach communities, training farmers in pruning, block management, lining and budding, and working closely with the Cocoa Board to develop certified budwood gardens.
This grassroots model has helped stabilize communities, especially among youth previously affected by law and order issues. “Many farmers who had abandoned cocoa are rehabilitating their blocks again. Families are earning, children are back in school, and our villages are becoming active and hopeful,” Mr Nicholas shared.
Despite limited financing and minimal government support, Shadowers Cocoa Reviver has continued to expand. As of 2025, the organisation supports more than 300 active farmers, with long term plans to enter new stages of the cocoa value chain.
PACD Cocoa Matching Grant Marks Turning Point In 2025, Shadowers Cocoa Reviver achieved a major milestone by successfully securing the PACD Cocoa Project Matching Grant—its first external project funding.
Under the arrangement, PACD financed 80 percent of the project while the organization contributed 20 percent. The grant supported the construction of a new cocoa storage shed and introduced training programs in financial literacy and cocoa quality assessment, with training to commence soon this year.
Construction of the shed, which began in October 2025, has now been completed. The new facility allows farmers to safely store dry beans and maintain high quality before sale—an essential step for improving market prices.
“The PACD assistance has truly touched the hearts of our farmers,” Mr Nicholas said. “It has given us confidence that our long term dream to enter the export market is achievable.” The improved infrastructure, combined with upcoming training components, has strengthened the organization’s operational capacity and positioned Shadowers Cocoa Reviver to participate more competitively in regional cocoa markets.
Today, Shadowers Cocoa Reviver stands as a shining example of how local leadership and community driven solutions can rebuild rural economies. What started as a family initiative has evolved into a structured organization driving sustainable development, empowering farmers, and restoring the cocoa industry across the Gazelle District and surrounding communities.
With the PACD grant and its continued grassroots commitment, the organization is now poised for greater impact helping hundreds of households revive cocoa, restore income, and rebuild resilient rural livelihoods. Shadowers Cocoa Reviver Limited is not just restoring cocoa. It is restoring hope.
When CPB spread across East New Britain between 2014 and 2015, thousands of smallholder farmers lost their main income source almost overnight. Among those affected were four brothers John Kola, Tonit Alex, Ervin Buaten, and Chairman Kola Nicholas whose family blocks faced severe decline. Turning adversity into action, they founded Shadowers Cocoa Reviver Limited with a mission to revive not only their own cocoa gardens, but the wider rural economy.
Before forming the organization, the brothers attended NGIP-Agmark’s cocoa rehabilitation trainings at Tokiala Plantation between 2012 and 2014. Equipped with new skills and guided by the realisation that many isolated farmers lacked access to training and planting materials, they established a model built on community empowerment, technical assistance and sustainable rehabilitation. Chairman Nicholas often reflects on the organisation’s guiding principle: “Reviving cocoa is reviving human life.”
From its early days supporting 150 farmers under the PPAP program and distributing nearly 300,000 seedlings, the organization grew steadily. By 2019, its farmer network had expanded to 500 as demand for budwood gardens, rehabilitation guidance, and nursery support increased.
Shadowers Cocoa Reviver now operates through five core objectives: • Strengthening rural leadership networks and seedling distribution systems • Maintaining sustainable cocoa production across communities • Improving living standards through restored agricultural income • Enhancing household cash flow for school fees, rituals, and daily needs • Supporting churches and community groups with income generated assistance
The organization uses a hands on approach, establishing satellite nurseries in hard to reach communities, training farmers in pruning, block management, lining and budding, and working closely with the Cocoa Board to develop certified budwood gardens.
This grassroots model has helped stabilize communities, especially among youth previously affected by law and order issues. “Many farmers who had abandoned cocoa are rehabilitating their blocks again. Families are earning, children are back in school, and our villages are becoming active and hopeful,” Mr Nicholas shared.
Despite limited financing and minimal government support, Shadowers Cocoa Reviver has continued to expand. As of 2025, the organisation supports more than 300 active farmers, with long term plans to enter new stages of the cocoa value chain.
PACD Cocoa Matching Grant Marks Turning Point In 2025, Shadowers Cocoa Reviver achieved a major milestone by successfully securing the PACD Cocoa Project Matching Grant—its first external project funding.
Under the arrangement, PACD financed 80 percent of the project while the organization contributed 20 percent. The grant supported the construction of a new cocoa storage shed and introduced training programs in financial literacy and cocoa quality assessment, with training to commence soon this year.
Construction of the shed, which began in October 2025, has now been completed. The new facility allows farmers to safely store dry beans and maintain high quality before sale—an essential step for improving market prices.
“The PACD assistance has truly touched the hearts of our farmers,” Mr Nicholas said. “It has given us confidence that our long term dream to enter the export market is achievable.” The improved infrastructure, combined with upcoming training components, has strengthened the organization’s operational capacity and positioned Shadowers Cocoa Reviver to participate more competitively in regional cocoa markets.
Today, Shadowers Cocoa Reviver stands as a shining example of how local leadership and community driven solutions can rebuild rural economies. What started as a family initiative has evolved into a structured organization driving sustainable development, empowering farmers, and restoring the cocoa industry across the Gazelle District and surrounding communities.
With the PACD grant and its continued grassroots commitment, the organization is now poised for greater impact helping hundreds of households revive cocoa, restore income, and rebuild resilient rural livelihoods. Shadowers Cocoa Reviver Limited is not just restoring cocoa. It is restoring hope.
