From cacao farms in Cameroon to a chocolate factory and community hub in Binghamton, New York.

Meet the Founder

I am Ayissi Nyemba, Founder and CEO of EMKAO FOODS INC, a woman- and minority-owned chocolate company built on ethical sourcing, sustainability, and community empowerment.

My goal is to make exceptional chocolate while keeping the people who grow cacao visible, valued, and connected to the communities that enjoy the finished product.

How EMKAO Began: My Why

My journey began on my family’s cacao farm in Cameroon. I grew up within a cocoa-producing community, where I saw both the pride of creating something extraordinary and the difficult reality that farmers often do not receive fair value or recognition for their work.

Later, as I trained as a professional chocolatier and built my career in business, I knew I wanted to create a company that could connect people back to the source and show that ethical sourcing can be real, transparent, and scalable.

That is why I founded EMKAO: to build a farmer-first cocoa and chocolate company that creates opportunity at origin and in the communities we serve.

What Makes Emkao Chocolate Special

Emkao is founded on two core values that most chocolate brands struggle to combine: exceptional flavor and verified impact .

• Rare, Premium Cacao Genetics (60% Criollo + 40% Trinitario): Criollo is one of the rarest and most esteemed cacao varieties, celebrated for its delicate and complex flavor, produced in significantly smaller quantities than commodity cocoa. Trinitario melds Criollo’s aromatic qualities with enhanced resilience, resulting in a beautifully balanced profile characterized by depth, smoothness, and consistency.
• Single-Origin and Direct Relationships: We source directly from smallholder farmers in Cameroon (Central Africa) , fostering long-term relationships and ensuring fairer value distribution.
• Traceability You Can Verify: Our QR-code traceability allows consumers to connect the chocolate back to its origin.
• Craft Quality: Having trained as a professional chocolatier, I emphasize meticulous processing and consistent specifications, enabling our cocoa ingredients and chocolate to perform reliably for both consumers and food makers.

Where is Cameroon?

Cameroon is in Central Africa. It borders Nigeria and has a coastline along the Gulf of Guinea. Its rich cacao-growing regions and deep-rooted farming traditions are central to EMKAO’s story—and to our commitment to connect every finished product with the people and place behind its cacao.

Dark Chocolate for Healthy Living (in Moderation)

Today's consumers are increasingly health-conscious. High-cacao, low-sugar dark chocolate is filled with cocoa flavanols and minerals that may support:

• Heart health (promoting blood flow and maintaining healthy blood pressure)
• Brain function (enhancing focus and memory)
• Stress support (capable of lowering cortisol levels)
• Antioxidant support (including bolstering skin resilience)

These benefits are most potent with higher cacao content and should be enjoyed in moderation .

Proven Operations in Vancouver, Canada

EMKAO has operated a branch in Vancouver, Canada, since 2021. That operation has helped us validate our products and processes, serve customers consistently, and build the operational foundation we are now bringing to the United States.

Awards and Recognition

Our work has been recognized across the food, business, and sustainability sectors:

• 2026 Sustainability Project of the Year — International Confectionery Awards
• 2025 Specialty Food Association Leadership Award — Vision & Sustainability
• 2025 Binghamton Local Development Corporation–Entrepreneurial Assistance Program Business Plan Competition — First Place, Binghamton, New York
• 2024 Canadian Health Food Association Diversity Award
• 2024 TD Social Impact Award
• 2024 Rising Star Award

Why Binghamton

In 2024 and 2025, we participated in the Grow-NY Food & Agriculture Startup Competition. Although we were not selected as finalists, the experience led us to explore other opportunities and discover the Binghamton University Koffman Incubator’s Soft Landing New York program, which helps international entrepreneurs expand in New York’s Southern Tier.

The Soft Landing team reached out, offered valuable market insight, helped us build relationships, and prepared us for long-term success. We kept going—and our first-place finish in the 2025 BLDC-EAP Business Plan Competition affirmed that we are building something meaningful in Binghamton.

Learn more: Koffman Incubator profile of EMKAO Foods

What We're Building

At 73 Griswold Street, we are developing a 2,500-square-foot chocolate and cocoa-ingredients facility shared with a coffee roaster and distributor. This complementary food-production setting can help create a distinctive local destination while supporting efficient, practical operations.

The facility is designed to become more than a production space. We plan to create a small retail shop, offer production tours, host tastings and community events, create jobs, and connect Binghamton to a global network of ethical cacao farmers and chocolate enthusiasts.

Where we are now: We have secured the Binghamton facility, the build-out is underway, and we are beginning the permit process. Our FundRazr campaign is still active and helping fund the next steps toward opening.

Why We're Raising Funds

Our immediate FundRazr goal is $50,000. It will support the renovations, food-safety work, essential equipment, permits, and community-facing fit-out needed for the first phase of the Binghamton facility.

These allocations total $50,000. Final amounts may shift as contractor quotes and regulatory requirements are confirmed, and we will keep supporters informed of meaningful changes.

Our Goal and Stretch Phases

The $50,000 campaign is the first goal. The $100,000 and $150,000 levels are stretch milestones that allow the project to move beyond the initial build-out and prepare for stronger production.

How Your Support Creates Real Impact

Supporting EMKAO is about more than purchasing chocolate. It helps build a resilient, farmer-first supply chain and a local manufacturing business with room to grow.

• A product people already want: Premium, single-origin cocoa and chocolate with verified sourcing and traceability.
• A supply-chain advantage: Direct relationships at origin can support quality, reduce reliance on middlemen, and strengthen resilience.
• A proven operator: Our Vancouver branch has provided an operating foundation since 2021.
• Momentum and validation: Industry recognition and our Binghamton business-plan win reflect product quality, leadership, and market credibility.
• A local destination: The Binghamton facility can support jobs, production, retail, tours, tastings, and community events.

Ways You Can Help

• Contribute: Any amount helps us move the Binghamton factory and community hub forward.
• Share: If you cannot contribute today, sharing the campaign can introduce the project to someone who can.
• Follow the journey: We will post FundRazr updates with milestones, behind-the-scenes progress, photographs, challenges, and next steps.
• Partner: For larger contributions, including possible loans or equity investment, contact us directly so we can discuss appropriate options.

Thank You

Thank you for supporting a chocolate industry that puts farmers at the forefront, values transparency, and invests in community. From Cameroon to Vancouver to Binghamton, every step of EMKAO’s journey has been built through persistence, relationships, and shared belief in a better chocolate model.

We are deeply grateful to have you with us as we bring this farmer-first chocolate destination to life in Binghamton. Help us reach our first $50,000 goal by contributing or sharing the campaign on FundRazr.