Cameroon’s richest woman makes a sudden move from cocoa to beverage
Reports indicate that she is pouring in $28.3 million toward the construction of the facility in Souza, located within the Littoral region.
This initiative is projected to be one of the most significant private industrial investments in the nation’s recent history, as seen on Cameroon Concord.
Primarily known for her venture in cocoa, the Cameroonian multi-millionaire is looking to diversify with this new move.
Kate Fotso and her cocoa business, Telcar
Kate Fotso is one of Central Africa’s most powerful agricultural executives, as well as the founder and CEO of Telcar Cocoa, a company that has been a key player in Cameroon’s cocoa export industry for over 20 years.
Through Telcar Cocoa, she established a strong position in a sector that is one of Cameroon’s primary sources of foreign exchange revenues.
Telcar Cocoa, at its peak, controlled almost 35% of Cameroon’s total cocoa exports, making it the country’s largest cocoa trading corporation.
This dominance positioned the company at the center of global cocoa supply chains, supplying beans to major chocolate manufacturers in Europe, North America, and Asia.
Telcar Cocoa is said to have handled over 100,000 tons of cocoa beans during the 2023-2024 cocoa campaign, accounting for around 35% of Cameroon’s exports.
However, current data suggest a considerable reduction in performance. During the 2024-2025 season, the company’s shipments fell to around 32,406 tonnes, dropping its market share to about 10.4%.
Telcar’s fall also resulted in it losing its status as Cameroon’s top cocoa exporter to competitors such as SIC Cacaos and Sbet, indicating a broader reshuffle in the country’s cocoa trade environment.
A venture outside of the cocoa empire she currently controls includes Bridge Riviera Development and Hospitality Plc (BRDH), an entity established in the country’s coastal city, Douala, with a defined duration of 99 years and a share capital of 100 million FCFA.
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