Case Study: Acumen

Given their role as leaders in the social enterprise and impact investing space, Acumen wanted to explore how corporations, social enterprises, and other critical intermediaries and allies could forge partnerships that make the sourcing of food and agriculture sustainable, inclusive, and a force for good. Acumen asked Connective Impact to work with them to better understand the role that social enterprises play in the cocoa sector to improve farmer livelihoods. Acumen specifically asked for assistance identifying the appropriate stakeholders and potential partners to engage on a research project and dialogue around the role and opportunity for social enterprise in cocoa growing communities. 

Connective Impact identified stakeholders for Acumen to engage. This included performing outreach on Acumen’s behalf and facilitating conversations with private sector, NGO and government actors. Additionally, Connective Impact provided input into research on the topic through Acumen’s report: Cocoa Interrupted: The Role of Social Enterprise in Cocoa Sustainability in advance of a side event at the 2019 Skoll World Forum.

In addition to the report, which included all stakeholder feedback, Acumen advanced their internal strategy to engage agricultural companies, starting with the cocoa value chain, around how to more broadly incorporate social enterprises in supply chain and community activity to advance social and environmental impact.

Photo credit: Hershey