23/11/2025
Securing 2nd place nationally is no easy achievement. The SME Awards judging criteria assess a business’s growth in assets and production over time, alongside critical factors such as Reach (market journey of products), Edge (innovation), and Community (social inclusion). Every area must show progress, as weaknesses affect overall scoring—volumes alone cannot secure a win.
Emmanuel Federice, the co-founder of Federice Estates EST. 2020 Ltd and his team has established a small-scale cocoa and chocolate factory in Wewak and was awarded a USD 1.5 million grant under the FAO-supported EU-STREIT Program. This funding enabled the purchase of a semi-automated processing line to produce cocoa mass, powder, butter, and nibs for export as chocolate-making ingredients. Unlike many rural SMEs and cooperatives awaiting government or donor support, Federice drives its own extension services, partnering with the PNG Cocoa Board to train farmers in sustainable practices, thereby nurturing a premium market for rural cocoa growers.
Across the Bismarck Sea, through St. George’s Channel and the Solomon Sea to Bougainville, Julie Rereve—the 2025 Bougainville Entrepreneur of the Year—is building a cooperative-led chocolate factory. Though separated by oceans, her vision mirrors Federice’s. Agriculture SMEs are increasingly asserting themselves at the SME Awards, with current trends suggesting the sector is poised to dominate in 2026 unless ICT innovations disrupt the momentum.
With 4 of the Top 5 and 5 of the Top 10 businesses in PNG coming from agriculture, the sector’s rise is undeniable—signaling a new era of growth and opportunity for rural enterprises.
Federice Estates, in addition to managing its own cocoa plantation in Angoram, has expanded farmer outreach into three other districts of East Sepik. This year, it stood as the sole nominee representing East Sepik and the Greater Sepik region—the first since the SME Awards began in 2020.
Ela Motors PNG
Credit Guarantee Corporation PNG
SME Corporation
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
United Nations in Papua New Guinea
UNDP in Papua New Guinea
Australian High Commission Papua New Guinea