Our range of Cacao beans include the following Solomon Islands producers and origins:
Guadalcanal beans produced by Cathliro. From the island of Guadalcanal. These beans produce a delicious chocolate with some red fruits notes.
Temotu beans produced by Philip Lepping. From the outer island of Temotu. These beans produce a beautiful chocolate with notes of honey and malt.
Occasionally we have other small producers in stock from Makira, Isabel, or Marovo lagoon. Please enquire for current stock.
All beans are always stored within GrainPro hermetic storage, This hermetic storage protects against pests such as cocoa moths, reabsorption of moisture from the 85% ambient humidity and the modified CO2 atmospheric conditions also prevents growth of aerobic moulds.
Our producers are paid more than double the bulk cacao price in Honiara. The bulk market supplies cacao products for the big chocolate industry including Nestle and Cadbury.
Some of our customers in Australia include South Pacific Cacao (Sydney), Ratio Cocoa Roasters (Melbourne), Atypic Chocolate (Melbourne), Cailo Chocolate (Perth), Metiisto Chocolate (Toowoomba), Cuvee Chocolate (Victoria), Zokoko Chocolate (Blue Mountains) amongst others.
Prior to COVID, some of our European customers include Fabric Chocolate, Original Beans, Macao Movement, Misini Cokolada and others. New Zealand customers included Wellington Chocolate Factory and Ocho.
Contact us to get latest prices and stock available.
Fermentation and drying protocols for most farmers are generally:
- Box fermentation – turned daily for 5 or 6 days, until beans are correctly fermented and tested via cut test
- Sundried or using solar bubble dryer – for 5 to 10 days, until correct moisture content (MC) of between 6-7% is reached
A range of current and former producers that we have worked with are included below:
David Kebu (Guadalcanal) – Third place at International Cocoa Excellence Awards in 2015
Kenny Patovaki (Western Province) – First place at Solomon Islands Chocolate Week 2017 – Video here https://youtu.be/HUg-8_JXcnI
Lenard Nahurua (Makira) – First place at Solomon Islands Chocolate Week 2019
Biana Bana farmers co-operative (Makira) – Third place at Solomon Islands Chocolate Week 2019 – Video here https://youtu.be/LRJ60RL4fXQ
Black Post farmers co-operative (Guadalcanal)
Tenaru farners co-operative (Guadalcanal)
Agnes Pilopaso (Guadalcanal), second place at Solomon Islands Chocolate Festival 2016
Luz Kasimwane (Makira)
Jasper Iniga (Malaita)