Our Story
Asili Coffee is a Ghana Cocoa Board licensed coffee dealer established in 2015 in Akuapem in the Eastern Region of Ghana. Asili is based in Akuapem because it is our core belief that world-class products can be manufactured in rural areas. We operate in each phase of the coffee value chain and aim to utilise coffee as a catalyst for socio-economic change and rural development.
Founded by John Francios, a native son of Akuapem, Asili is the result of a yearning to contribute to the development of his community that led John back to the abandoned coffee farm of his great grandfather. What started as a passion project to revive his family farm took John on an eye-opening journey through coffee fields in Ivory Coast to the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, to the far reaches of Indonesia and back. It quickly became apparent the considerable impact coffee could have for his hometown.
It has since been Asili’s mission to revive coffee planting in Akuapem by providing a reliable route to market for farmers. Asili works with farmers through a contract farming model that provides support and inputs for guaranteed off-take. The Asili processing plant was opened in Akuapem in 2018 and the company became a key partner with government agencies in the distribution of free coffee seedlings in the Akuapem area. It also played a key role in establishing the Akuapem Coffee Growers Association in 2019 to protect farmers’ rights and interests.
Our mission
Shattering the glass ceiling of cyclical
Asili serves as a platform for shattering the glass ceiling of cyclical poverty in Akuapem and beyond, through contract farming and the democratisation of quality coffee for consumers. Our work directly addresses the following SDG goals: 1. No poverty; 2. Zero hunger; 8. Decent work and economic growth; and 9. Industry, innovation and infrastructure.
Our Vision
Cultivating the future of Akuapem through coffee
Our vision is to promote the cultivation of coffee as a catalyst for socio-economic change in the Akuapem area. We are striving to build a resilient and reliable coffee value chain, from seed to cup, and to place Akuapem on the global coffee map as a reputable producer of high quality, fully traceable and sustainably produced coffee.
