Table of Contents
Key Points
- Atlantic Cocoa investing $18 million to expand Kribi factory, boosting processing capacity from 48,000 to 64,000 metric tons annually.
- Swiss firm Bühler contracted to supply new machinery; construction starts mid-2026, completion expected by early 2027.
- Total investment in Kribi cocoa plant to surpass $71 million, reinforcing Dossongui’s push for local value addition in cocoa.
Atlantic Cocoa, the cocoa bean processing plant built by one of Côte d'Ivoire’s richest men Koné Dossongui, has begun work on a CFA10 billion ($18 million) upgrade of its facility in Kribi, Cameroon. The factory, located in the Kribi industrial port zone, is part of Dossongui’s Atlantic Group—a West and Central African conglomerate with interests ranging from finance to heavy industry.
Capacity to increase by 16,000 tons
The upgrade officially kicked off on June 27, 2025, with a launch meeting that set the project in motion. Feasibility studies have started, and the first payment has been made to Bühler, the Swiss equipment manufacturer contracted to supply the new machinery. Construction is expected to begin in July 2026, giving Bühler time to complete production and delivery. Once the equipment arrives, installation and testing should take about six months, with the factory scheduled to be fully operational between late 2026 and early 2027.
The expansion will increase the plant’s annual grinding capacity from 48,000 to 64,000 metric tons. A source familiar with the project said the final cost may exceed the initial CFA10 billion estimate. With this new investment, total spending on the Kribi facility will rise to over CFA40 billion ($71.5 million), factoring in the CFA30 billion ($53.6 million) already spent to build the plant. The upgrade comes at a crucial time for Atlantic Cocoa, which had to navigate early challenges related to limited bean supply and competition from exporters buying directly from farmers for international traders.
Atlantic Group expands cocoa operations
Koné Dossongui entered the private sector after over a decade in public service, having held senior roles in Côte d'Ivoire’s government between 1979 and the late 1980s. Known for his influence in shaping the country’s agricultural policies, he went on to establish Atlantic Group in 2006. Since then, he has built it into one of the region’s leading business groups, with holdings in banking, insurance, cement production, and agribusiness. Among its major industrial ventures is Société Ciment Côte d’Ivoire (SCCI), a cement plant in Abidjan.
The group is now playing a key role in expanding cocoa processing capacity in both Côte d'Ivoire and Cameroon, which together produce nearly half of the world’s cocoa. Through its cocoa subsidiary, launched in 2015, Atlantic Group aims to boost local processing by building state-of-the-art factories close to where the beans are grown.
In Cameroon, Atlantic Cocoa became the first company to set up shop in the Kribi Deep Sea Port Industrial Zone. Its current facility handles 48,000 metric tons of cocoa annually, with the expansion set to increase that to 64,000. At the same time, a new plant with similar capacity is under construction in Côte d'Ivoire. Both factories are being built to meet the strict quality and safety standards demanded by the world’s top chocolate brands.