The Solomon Islands are in the Pacific and Guadalcanal is one of group's largest islands.
The farm that grows most of our Solomon Islands cocoa is a family affair. The farmer, his wife and four sisters each plays an important part in the business bringing specialist knowledge, from growing and fermenting to finance and shipping.
To ensure the cocoa is free from any smokiness, the farm has invested in solar drying enclosers. Showery squalls are apt to rush in from the south seas and the beans can be covered quickly to prevent the moisture interrupting the drying process.
The paradise island of Malekula in Vanuatu has a small but thriving cocoa community at its heart. An 8-hour boat journey from Port Vila, this is one of our harder to reach cocoa origins.
Indeed, the crop here is so small that it doesn’t even register on the cocoa scale of production, which shows how rare it is and why we must work so closely with the farmers to champion their sustainable farming.