2025 NFP True Pricing Seed Fund winners: where they are now

Kumasi is working on the development of a True Price analysis to better understand the impact of valorizing side streams on the true price of a product. Kumasi is doing this in Ivory Coast where they are valorizing cocoa juice from the cocoa fruit, as a side stream of cocoa beans. The consortium partners have jointly developed the survey questionnaire that will form the basis of the analysis. They have now moved into the data collection phase, surveying 100 farmers currently supplying cocoa juice and 100 farmers not involved in cocoa juice production. This comparative approach will allow the consortium to assess the differences in income, cost structures, and overall value creation. The survey results will provide important insights that will feed into the True Price assessment and the broader evaluation of the economic potential of cocoa juice (and waste streams) valorisation.

Grows in Rows focuses on applying True Cost Accounting to Nigeria’s avocado value chain. They have completed field data collection across 150 smallholder avocado farmers in Southern Kaduna, Nigeria, and are finalising validation of the preliminary true price results in collaboration with True Price. Initial findings suggest that in this low-input, diversified farming system, the true price gap is primarily income-driven rather than environmentally driven. The next phase focuses on validating these insights with farmers and refining interpretation to better understand how TCA can serve as a diagnostic tool in smallholder-dominated value chains.

Maas International aims to gain insight into the true social and environmental costs embedded in two coffee value chains. They will compare the true price gap of their ‘Puro Vida’ and ‘Puro Fairtrade Bio’ coffee. They are currently collecting data among their coffee cooperatives with local partners in Honduras and Peru and are expecting their first results mid-April. Following this, they will work with Wageningen University on how best to communicate the project results to the consumer, while also exploring ways to reduce the true price gap.

SUST'NREAL focuses on applying true price analysis to cocoa production by comparing the externalities of different farming systems. The project seeks to generate insights into how production methods influence environmental and social impacts and to identify pathways for more sustainable cocoa and chocolate value chains. After an initial scoping phase and methodological adjustments to adapt the true price methodology to the Brazilian context, data collection among cocoa producers is underway. With the results of the true price assessment, the project provides evidence for more sustainable land-use practices, can inform pricing and policy discussions, and can support decision-making by both public and private sector actors. Workshops and knowledge exchange activities are also planned to transfer expertise on true pricing methodologies to Brazilian stakeholders, strengthening local capacity to conduct future assessments.

Across all four projects, a shared pattern is emerging:

• Methods are being adapted to local contexts

• Evidence is being built from the ground up, with farmers and cooperatives central to data collection and validation.

• All projects are exploring the “so what?”: How can results inform choices in policy, practice, and communication.

We’ll continue to share as the projects progress, including what these partnerships discover about where value is created, who bears the costs, and which levers can shift value chains towards fairer and more sustainable outcomes.