Launch of Salomon Kalou-backed Oumé cocoa series heralds great promise

The past week has seen the launch of something potentially very special for the confectionery world – what is believed to be the first major lifestyle brand with cocoa products from West Africa.

Step forward the Oumé brand, backed by former Chelsea and Ivory Coast footballer Salomon Kalou, who offered a fascinating personal portrait of his early life dreaming of playing for his national team, assisting his family on their farm in the region.

He could not have realised as a child in the 1990s that he would go on to global fame and recognition within the sporting world that would carry him to Champions League and FA Cup glory in the footballing world – but as with every sports star, the challenge of what to do next is often considerably daunting.

But as he explained at the launch of Oume, named after Kalou’s home town, has a strong personal meaning for him, as his vision is to see it succeed as Ivory Coast’s first global brand that will help put the region on the global confectionery map. (see our launch story here).

It’s a fantastic ambition to have, and there was indeed no shortage of optimism and thought being placed into its launch at smart reception in central London last Tuesday, but the proof will undoubtedly be in the quality of the end product.

Intriguingly, as its chocolate mastermind, Marc Donaldson notes, the company is prepared to take its time in getting this right, but he believes the region is perfectly capable of providing a series of superior quality that he believes will prove any naysayers wrong.

“We’re a careful group of people,” he says in how they are setting out about the venture, which is anticipated to take further form in the coming months after its energetic pre-launch that offered a glimpse of something that could be potentially very special indeed.

While there are inevitably pressures on any fledgling venture, the addition of star power in the form of Salomon Kalou and his Brazilian girlfriend, Karina Ferreira, serving as the brand’s creative director, its prospects seem notably encouraging.