From petty trading to mega business — the story of Chocho

Saturday, March 21, 2009 (The Mirror Pg 3)
By Rebecca Kwei
Chocho cream and chocho soap — these are very popular herbal products among Ghanaians and what started as a petty family business has now grown to become a household name in Ghana.
From very humble beginnings of producing herbal soap and cream for friends to try in Accra in 1999, the business has now become a full-fledged company known as Chocho Industries Limited, situated in Suhum in the Eastern Region of Ghana.
Recounting how it all started, the man behind Chocho Industries, Alhajii Mustapha Boateng, said while struggling as a bus driver plying between Accra Central and Fadama, his elder sister called to inform him about a dream she had had.
According to him, his sister had dreamt that he (Alhaji Mustapha) was in the cosmetics business and that he was very successful.
He said he thought carefully about what his sister had told him and decided to do something about it.
He said it then dawned on him that his father had been a herbalist, that he (Alhaji) also had knowledge of various herbs for curing skin diseases and that when he travelled to Japan to seek greener pastures he had worked in a cosmetics factory.
“This is how it started. I, together with my family, started on a trial basis, producing soap and cream in small quantities. We then gave them out to people to try. The feedback we had from them was that they were good products and they encouraged us. We were motivated by that to continue and the rest, as they say, is history,” he narrated.
Chocho Industries started operations as a company in 2003 and now it has eight products to its credit. They are Chocho Cream, Chocho Soap, Chocho Balm, Chocho Herbal Tea, Chocho Hair Fertiliser, Chocho Hair Food, Chocho Hand and Foot Cream and Chocho Skin Toner. The company uses herbal ingredients in the products to treat skin disorders and enhance skin health.
Alhaji Mustapha, after completing his pre-technical education at the St Paul’s Technical School from 1967 to 1969, where he studied electrical engineering, could not further his education because, according to him, he came from a very poor family and his father could not pay his fees.
He, therefore, went to stay with his uncle in Takoradi to practise the electrical installation he had learnt in school. But he realised his interest was not in the electrical field and, therefore, he branched into commercial driving as a taxi driver.
When his uncle was transferred to Accra, he went with him and started worshipping at the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission at Osu because he had converted to the Islamic religion as far back as 1969.
He said while worshipping there, he got to know that the head of the Ahmadiyya Mission, Maulvi Wahab Adam, did not have a driver so he opted to be his personal driver.
Having worked for Maulvi Wahab Adam, who saw the potential in him, Alhaji Mustapha said he (Maulvi) did not hesitate to select him (Alhaji Mustapha) for a printing course in London when the opportunity came.
So for a year Alhaji Mustapha studied printing at the Raqeem Press in London and came back home to join the Nazir Press of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission from 1990 to 1993.
He later requested for a leave of absence and travelled to Japan to seek greener pastures where he worked at a printing press and a cosmetics factory.
In 1996, Alhaji Mustapha returned to Ghana and brought home five Benz buses which he gave out to drivers to work with. But that business venture was not successful and he was finally left with only one bus, which he started using commercially before his sister had that dream.
According to Alhaji Mustapha, he uses tropical herbs for his products and the secret of his success is that whatever is indicated on the products as being what they are capable of doing is true.
“Chocho products are of very high quality and what the products cannot do we do not indicate on the label,” he emphasised.
Another interesting aspect of Chocho Industries is that after extracting oil from palm nuts, the other residue of the nut, such as the chaff and kernels, are used to generate heat for the production of the soap and other products.
He said most of Chocho’s products which are in high demand can be found on many shelves outside the country, such as the USA, the UK, Canada and other African countries. The company also has plans of opening a shop in Sierra Leone to market its products.
Good packaging has a way of attracting people to buy products and Alhaji Mustapha says he is very much aware of that, adding that because of his printing background he ensures that Chocho products are well packaged.
So why the name ‘Chocho’?
Alhaji Mustapha said ‘Chocho’ was a nickname between him and his best friend who was a pharmacist. He said before he travelled to Japan, he and his friend had an agreement that he (Alhaji) was going to bring money home so that they would open a pharmacy shop.
He said that did not materialise because his friend passed away before he returned to Ghana. Therefore, the name ‘Chocho’ is in memory of his friend and also to remind him to abide by whatever decision the two of them took before he travelled to Japan.
Alhaji Mustapha’s family, from his wives to his children, are all involved in one aspect of the business or another. Indeed, two of his children are in Malaysia studying pharmacy to help in the future prospects of the company.
“I will not end with skin and beauty products. It is my dream to go into anything that has to do with human health,” he said.
He said it was important for people to be truthful and trustworthy because “whatever you sow is what you reap”.
Alhaji Mustapha was named Kwabena Oti Boateng when he was born at Akyem Kwabeng in the Eastern Region. His parents are Ibrahim Boateng and Salamat Tenkoramaa Boateng (his parents also converted to Islam).
He is married to Adiza Agyapomaa Boateng and Jameela Boateng and he has eight children — Sadika, Farida, Amiinah, Arshad, Ibrahim, Mariam, Sharak Bibi and Matla Boateng.