Our Story

Going to Benin, West Africa ruined my life in the best way possible…..

Jace’s story

Have you ever had a pivotal moment in your life when you just knew that when looking down one road you could foresee your next 30 years? It is a relatively straight road without many turns and you could plan a “good” life. Then, when looking down another road in the opposite direction you can barely see past the first bend and you know there is no way to plan or foresee anything? The road of predictability would bring comfort, stability and a very “plan-able” future. The other was sure to bring stress, worry, panic, excitement, adventure, and craziness etc.

My “other road” moment occurred just a few months prior to graduating from university. Let me give you some context…. I am a type “A” planner. This means that I naturally had a job lined up in the career I studied well before I graduated from university. I was planning to trade commodities (nuts and dried fruits) in Chicago. I had spent the last 3 summers doing internships with the company and they offered me a job the summer before my senior year. I was excited and ready to conquer the world in my field. I went in to my senior year at university eager and excited to finish in May 2003 and start my career.

So back to the “other road” moment…… It was April 2003 and the sudden sinking feeling that I was 23 years old and I knew what my life would look like at 53. I couldn’t do it. I called my boss and turned down the job. They were furious, and I was relieved. I graduated university a month later with no job and no idea what I was going to do but I knew it wouldn’t be on a road I could see down…..

I joined the Peace Corps a few month after graduation and was sent to Benin, West Africa. At that time, Benin was the 15th poorest country in the world (today the 27th). I had to look it up on a map to see where it was when I received my assignment. It is a tiny sliver of a country with approx. 9 million people. I always say that Benin ruined my life in the best way possible. Previous to Benin, my travels consisted of the US, France, England and Italy. Not exactly 3rd world. Eighty percent of the world’s population live like they do in Benin. I never knew such poverty until I met Benin and my life changed forever. The Peace Corps assigns each volunteer to a specific project with a local organization and each organization provides a “homologue” or counterpart. This person is my assigned point person and vows to help us integrate into the Benin way of life. The better word I think is almost a chaperone or guide. They are my link to the work and they are my local partner. Culturally, the homologues would be older males or females. It was common that a young American Peace Corps volunteer in their early 20’s would be paired with a Beninese citizen in the 50’s or 60’s. I’ll never forget the day I met my homologue partner…… we had been prepped beforehand that we would be paired with older people. All the cultural reasons “why” were explained to us. As I walked up to the table with my name and the name of my new associate, I was greeted in near perfect english by a scrawny kid no older than myself, “Hello, my name is Serge Kponou”. My first thought…..I sure am glad he spoke english because my french was terrible. My second thought…… what have I gotten myself in to?

Fast forward…….. I fell in love with the country and the people. Serge and I became very close friends and I met some truly amazing people. I ended my Peace Corps service ready to change the world.

Serge’s story

Growing up in Benin, I should have following in the footsteps of my father who was a teacher. Working for the government and drawing a stable salary was the goal of everyone. My father and mother provided a good life for us but I knew I wanted something more. I was fascinated with business and leadership and achieving something on my own. I was an entrepreneur as early as I remember and had a gifting for it. I remember buying mangoes in larger quantities for a lower price and reselling them individually at school. I asked questions consistently and wanted to know the “why” behind everything. I was a terrible student but an avid learner. I graduated from high school and immediately went to Ghana to learn english. No one in my family had left Benin before so this was difficult for them. However, by this time I had done so many things that were not “normal” that this next step didn’t really surprise anyone! After returning to Benin, I went to college to study accounting. I tried my hand in several industries and did well in all of them. I managed trucks and cargo shipments from the port to Niger. After that, I managed a large palm oil farming operation for a very successful businessman. Jace tells his story with the “other road” epiphany but I think I was always on that other road. I always thought differently and outside of the box. I never settled for normal and felt change had to start with me. I was always looking for opportunities where others saw challenges. We heard about a free program sponsored by the US government where they would send accomplished American “businessmen” to help improve organizations. I proposed this opportunity to my boss who flatly declined stating “what does an American know of palm oil?”. He was right but I insisted and annoyed him enough where he finally relented. He said “Serge, you want him then he is your responsibility”. I remember the day I met Jace. I was excited to meet an accomplished businessman who could help our already successful business. The Peace Corps director introduced me to a young kid with a beard. He was younger than I was (I am 6 months older) and his french was pretty bad. It seemed America’s idea of “accomplished businessman” wasn’t the same as mine :).

Our story

Serge and I parted ways in 2004 with a vow to remain in contact. I started another company that traded nuts and dried fruits and Serge started a restaurant in his hometown. Both of us were doing what we loved……creating businesses and creating opportunities. We learned a lot from each other and realized that despite the VERY different ways we were raised, we shared VERY common goals, beliefs, and dreams. We remained close talking through Yahoo! messenger and brainstorming future endeavors. We tried our hand in several ideas such as importing artisan wood sculptures from Benin and selling them on eBay to importing cheap trinkets into Benin and selling on the local market. We developed a deep friendship based on trust and common vision. One day, Serge brought up the idea of investing in farming (Side note: Serge loves farming, loves nature, and loves working with his hands). As the dreams and visions of changing Benin began to circulate, we decided to try it. We came up with a business plan and a budget to buy a small farm, partner with the local villages and impact the community through business. We finalized this plan in the spring of 2008 and decided the next step would be for a return trip to Benin that summer. I got married in June of that same year and actually took my wife to Benin for our honeymoon in July.! I introduced her to Benin and she fell in love with it as much as I did. For nearly 3 weeks in July 2008, the three of us brainstormed, dreamed, and decided to change the world. We ended up buying the farm on that trip as planned but little did we know, the farm idea was just the starting point……

In 2010, we dared to change the cashew market in Benin. 95% of the cashews were being shipped to other countries for processing, which exported jobs, wealth, and opportunity. Today, we have created a local, thriving, and sustainable cashew operation that employs over 650 workers and sources cashews from 7,000 cashew farmers. The team of 650 includes 649 Beninese and 1 American where local citizens are driving the change and impact in the local community.

It is the great honor of our lives to have the opportunity to develop, empower, and equip an incredible team of people and to help drive a movement. The story is amazing and the impact is profound and if we are honest, we would love to take the credit for it. However, the truth is the success of Tolaro Global is because of the strong leadership team we have developed over the last decade and the 648 other people who are committed to our mission. As for Serge and I, we just had enough sense to pause and to take the “other road”.