The ORIGINS
We want to bring you closer to the origins of our products. These locations, their vast beauty, and boundless abundance plays a huge part in making our products extra special. Bite into our chocolate to taste the richness of the Congo, let the gold bracelet that’s on your wrist transport you to witness Kenya’s beautiful sunsets, and take a step closer to this world of wonder.
More likely than not, you already have a piece of the Democratic Republic of the Congo without even knowing, in your phone, laptop, chocolate bar or jewellery. Minerals and other natural resources, including the majority of the world’s cobalt and copper supply, used in hundreds of other modern devices, are mined from the Congo. But the Congo’s real wealth lies in its people and its forests.
Second, only to the Amazon, the Congo River Basin, a tropical rainforest, is critical to combat climate change and is the heart of the Congo’s identity. With lava lakes at the Nyiragongo volcano to Africa’s oldest national park, Virunga, or the Okapi Wildlife Reserve, the DRC is home to strange and unique looking animals including one that looks like a curious cross of a giraffe and zebra. The small-scale farmers we work with are the custodians of mighty forests in the Congo, where they cultivate shade grown cocoa and coffee, protecting the natural biodiversity by preventing the spread of deforestation.
There is a local saying that goes “when you are at rock bottom, you can still dig deeper.” The Congo River Basin has been inhabited by people for over 50,000 years.
They have generations worth of knowledge about the ecosystem and have coexisted with nature in all its full force and bounty. Belonging to over 200 ethnic groups including the Pygmy Tribes, the people of the Congo stand together, proud like their beautiful mountains and trees, preserving their cultural and ancestral heritage through their arts and their camaraderie, something we could all benefit to learn from!
Buy the world’s best chocolate made with Congolese origin beans to become a part of this movement and #RaiseTheBar to a brighter and more inclusive future for all!
Follow our journey to see the impact of your purchase.
Our DRC Makers
Aime
A romantic at heart, Aime is a determined, dedicated and compassionate young woman, whose goal is helping her parents have a better life. She is filled with wonder and hope that the world can be a generous and giving place, where her dreams can come true. She enjoys watching romantic movies and listening to devotional
Amani
Specializing in finance and the art of appreciating classical music, Amani helps run the facility in Goma with a smile on his face and a spring in his step. He is trained in Business Administration and Finance and brings a wealth of experience to his role in our Congo facility. When he is not helping
Rocky
Rocky is undoubtedly our favorite member of the team. She is a bright, big ball of bacon fueled energy! Keeping her still for even a second has been impossible. Rocky was born the runt of the litter but survived against all odds to become a fierce protector of our facility in the DRC. She has
Heritier
Heritier is a young man, passionate about conservation and preventing deforestation. A carpenter by training and profession, he has also worked as a motorcycle mechanic and now operates as a freelancer and landlord in Goma. He has a daughter and works very hard to leave a better world behind for future generations.He believes that carpentry
Mamy
Show her a tadpole, and she’ll claim that she’s seen the Loch Ness monster in the middle of Lake Kivu! Mamy is the most entertaining and creative storyteller we have come across. With the ability to spin tales that would put Tolkien to shame, she is the life of the party at our facility in
Micheline
Rising up from the various challenges life has thrown her way, Micheline manages to flash a big, warm smile every time we see her! Her gentle and nurturing demeanor instils a sense of calm whenever she’s around. Besides crafting the most perfect chocolate, she enjoys bragging to her friends about all the wonderful things she
Kitame
An artist like Kitame comes around only once in a lifetime. The first time we met him, he was part of a group of around 10 Congolese artists who were asked to come up with artwork samples to help guide a vision for supporting local artists. There were several interesting personalities, but we were floored
Reinventing
Development Sustainability Consumer Choice
Straight out of a wildlife documentary on National Geographic, or a screening of Lion King, Kenya is the cradle of mankind, the largest producer of roses, home to the great wildebeest migration, and the fastest mammals on earth (cheetahs AND Kenyan athletes!). Nairobi is the only capital city in the world to have a National Park within its borders, where you can see 4 out of the coveted Big Five (lions, leopards, buffalos, and rhinos). Elephants can be spotted in some of the other 23 national parks, 15 national reserves and several private conservancies across the country, which is slightly smaller than Texas! Kenya boasts immaculate beaches, lush forests, and piercing desert scapes.
Home to Wangari Maathai, the first African woman to win a Nobel Peace Prize for her environmental activism, Kenya has been lauded for centuries for its natural beauty and diversity. The official language, Swahili, is heavily influenced by Bantu languages, Arabic, Hindi, and Portuguese, nodding to Kenya’s rich history as a trading hub going back thousands of years. The coastal town of Mombasa was established in 900 AD, and was a center for traders from Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Europe to meet and trade everything from spices to exotic animals. The country is a melting pot of diverse cultures and ethnicities, with a rich ecosystem and perfect weather.
Amidst the hustle and bustle of cosmopolitan Nairobi, you’ll find us working joyfully at our chocolate factory with our team of local artisans, welcomed by the national motto of Harambee (all pull together), and supported by the boundless generosity and hospitality of the Kenyan people.
Buy and indulge in our world-class products, coming to you from the cradle of mankind!
Book a tour of our chocolate factory in Nairobi and come learn more about us!
Our Kenyan Makers
Tanisha
Tanisha is our communications manager, and the one writing all this content, she finds it a bit strange writing about herself, but there are some things in life that are unavoidable, and it’s a lesson she’s learning as she’s typing this. A crazy dog lady and chronic book collector, Tanisha’s favorite chocolate is anything 75%
Caren
The three C’s that make Caren are calm, cool, and collected. When she’s not crunching numbers (and peanuts) at the office, Caren enjoys travelling and cooking. It’s hard to understand how someone can be dealing with numbers all day and still have a bright, big, smile on her face, but that’s Caren for you! Just
Wahura
Wahura keeps the ball rolling behind the scenes. She loves the dynamism of her job and having a different challenge to deal with each day. It’s the closest she can get to solving sudoku puzzles all day without having to solve sudoku puzzles all day! Whether it’s sourcing the right buckets or hopping on the
Adele
Adele is the co-founder for I Am Origins and an inspiring woman with experience and vision. After a career in development with the African Union and the United Nations, she wanted to implement real-time impact, and ventured into the world of social enterprise. She started an initiative called Fair Congo, set up our carpentry program
Mary
Mary loves to travel and socialize! Her love for travel is so deep, she wanted to be a flight attendant when she was younger just so she could hop on a plane and explore the world. She is very happy that the chocolate she makes can travel all over the world. From the top of
Jemimah
When she was younger, Jemimah wanted to be a paediatrician to help children in need. She had a strong desire to know that something she had done was helpful and brought a smile to people. Her dream came true because now she’s helping the whole world smile by making our incredibly special and decadent bean
Reinventing
Development Sustainability Consumer Choice
More likely than not, you already have a piece of the Democratic Republic of the Congo without even knowing, in your phone, laptop, chocolate bar or jewellery. Minerals and other natural resources, including the majority of the world’s cobalt and copper supply, used in hundreds of other modern devices, are mined from the Congo. But the Congo’s real wealth lies in its people and its forests.
Second, only to the Amazon, the Congo River Basin, a tropical rainforest, is critical to combat climate change and is the heart of the Congo’s identity. With lava lakes at the Nyiragongo volcano to Africa’s oldest national park, Virunga, or the Okapi Wildlife Reserve, the DRC is home to strange and unique looking animals including one that looks like a curious cross of a giraffe and zebra. The small-scale farmers we work with are the custodians of mighty forests in the Congo, where they cultivate shade grown cocoa and coffee, protecting the natural biodiversity by preventing the spread of deforestation.
There is a local saying that goes “when you are at rock bottom, you can still dig deeper.” The Congo River Basin has been inhabited by people for over 50,000 years.
They have generations worth of knowledge about the ecosystem and have coexisted with nature in all its full force and bounty. Belonging to over 200 ethnic groups including the Pygmy Tribes, the people of the Congo stand together, proud like their beautiful mountains and trees, preserving their cultural and ancestral heritage through their arts and their camaraderie, something we could all benefit to learn from!
Buy the world’s best chocolate made with Congolese origin beans to become a part of this movement and #RaiseTheBar to a brighter and more inclusive future for all!
Follow our journey to see the impact of your purchase.
Reinventing
Development Sustainability Consumer Choice
Straight out of a wildlife documentary on National Geographic, or a screening of Lion King, Kenya is the cradle of mankind, the largest producer of roses, home to the great wildebeest migration, and the fastest mammals on earth (cheetahs AND Kenyan athletes!). Nairobi is the only capital city in the world to have a National Park within its borders, where you can see 4 out of the coveted Big Five (lions, leopards, buffalos, and rhinos). Elephants can be spotted in some of the other 23 national parks, 15 national reserves and several private conservancies across the country, which is slightly smaller than Texas! Kenya boasts immaculate beaches, lush forests, and piercing desertscapes.
Home to Wangari Maathai, the first African woman to win a Nobel Peace Prize for her environmental activism, Kenya has been lauded for centuries for its natural beauty and diversity. The official language, Swahili, is heavily influenced by Bantu languages, Arabic, Hindi, and Portuguese, nodding to Kenya’s rich history as a trading hub going back thousands of years. The coastal town of Mombasa was established in 900 AD, and was a center for traders from Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Europe to meet and trade everything from spices to exotic animals. The country is a melting pot of diverse cultures and ethnicities, with a rich ecosystem and perfect weather.
Amidst the hustle and bustle of cosmopolitan Nairobi, you’ll find us working joyfully at our chocolate factory with our team of local artisans, welcomed by the national motto of Harambee (all pull together), and supported by the boundless generosity and hospitality of the Kenyan people.
Buy and indulge in our world-class products, coming to you from the cradle of mankind!
Book a tour of our chocolate factory in Nairobi and come learn more about us!