Tetteh Quarshie was an apprentice in a Basel mission workshop at Akropong in the Eastern region of Ghana.
Historical accounts state that through his experience as a blacksmith, he was able to travel to the Fernando Po Island (now Bioko in Equatorial Guinea) in 1870.
His rise to fame began after six years, when Quarshie, whose hobby was then farming, came back to Ghana with several cocoa beans, also known as Amelonado, and planted them on his farm at Mampong-Akuapim, a small town in the Eastern Region of Ghana.
The crop, which matures within 3 to five years, began being consumed by the people of Mampong, who would later know how to grow it with the help of Quarshie.
Soon, Mampong became the first cocoa hub of the country as the crop was now a commercial product for huge business and income.
By 1891, cocoa beans or cuttings were being sent to other countries such as Nigeria and Sierra Leone.
Sadly, Tetteh Quarshie was not able to witness his country’s first official export of two cocoa bags in 1893 as he died on Christmas Day, December 25, 1892.
His relatives made a petition to the Gold Coast Government on February 25th, 1925 for a grant for the upkeep of some of Tetteh Quarshie’s relatives.
The then Ghanaian Vice-Principal of Achimota College, Dr. J.E.K. Aggrey strenuously took up the appeal. His friend, Sir Gordon Guggisberg set up the Tetteh Quarshie Memorial Scholarship at Achimota College. Other honors were bestowed on him.
Family
Tetteh Quarshie was born in about 1842 to a farmer from Teshie known as Mlekubo. His mother was known as Ashong-Fio from Labadi, both hailing from the Ga-Dangme ethnic group. In his teens Tetteh Quarshie became an apprentice in a Basel Mission workshop at Akropong. Due to his hard work he soon became a master blacksmith and was in fact the first blacksmith to be established at Akuapim-Mampong. His hobby was farming.
Tetteh Quarshie cocoa farm
The Tetteh Quarshie cocoa farm, also known as the Ecomuseum of Cocoa, is the founding cocoa farm in Ghana. It is located in Akuapem-Mampong around 58km from Accra. Tetteh Quarshie established the farm in 1879 using seeds brought back from Bioko, Equatorial Guinea Three trees planted by Quarshie remain at the farm.
The farm is currently around one acre in size, and is managed by the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana.
Although this feat did not continue in subsequent years, Ghana’s cocoa is still praised as being of the highest quality, earning the country hundreds of millions of dollars annually from the export of the beans and processed materials.
Ghana’s cocoa sector also employs over 2 million people and constitutes a large portion of Ghana’s GDP.
Honour
In honour of his contribution to the above, various memorials in Ghana have been set up in the name of Tetteh Quarshie, namely the Tetteh Quarshie Memorial Hospital, Tetteh Quarshie Art market, Tetteh Quarshie Interchange and the Tetteh Quarshie House in Achimota.
Ghana Month on Adom is sponsored by Nkulenu Industries, Tostaty Tom, Franko Trading Enterprise, and Obuase Bitters.
