I am so excited to announce the launch of our Exclusive Pacific Chocolate Box!
This box showcases some of the finest cacao grown in the Pacific Islands and some of the best craft chocolate makers in New Zealand. Over the past nine months or so I've been working with four of my favourite chocolate makers to create some incredibly special and rare chocolate bars.
Each box contains four bars that have been crafted exclusively for The Chocolate Bar, in batches of just 250 bars each. The cacao origins featured are Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands, and the four makers involved are Wellington Chocolate Factory, OCHO, Miann and Foundry Chocolate.
Alongside these bars you'll receive information about the chocolate makers and cacao growers, a guide to tasting fine chocolate, drink pairing suggestions and a beautiful cacao pod illustration print by Wellington-based artist Forest Drawn. The whole collection comes packaged in one of our beautiful gift boxes.
There are three main aims of this box...
- To highlight the exceptional quality of cacao that is now being produced in parts of the Pacific Islands
- To highlight the exceptional quality of chocolate being produced in New Zealand's emerging craft chocolate industry
- To highlight this new and delicious way that we can collaborate with our neighbours
This is the cutting edge of what is happening in the chocolate industry right now. Cacao has been grown in the Pacific Islands for over a century but until recently the quality has often been poor, mostly due to a lack of knowledge and proper facilities for high quality processing (fermenting and drying.) With the emergence of the craft chocolate movement and increasing customer awareness of high-end chocolate, we have seen things develop over the past ten years and Pacific Islands cacao is starting to shine. Craft chocolate makers in New Zealand and Australia are starting to form direct trade relationships with farmers, while ethical cacao distribution companies and co-ops are helping to provide education and build infrastructure for processing and exports. It's very early days but there is clearly a huge potential for growth in this area.
I can’t wait for you to experience this extremely delicious and rare chocolate. It’s an opportunity to tour the South Pacific from the comfort of your couch, and to experience Pacific Islands terroir in a way that has never been possible before. This promises to be an eye (and mouth!) opening experience.
Due to its limited nature, this box will not be around for long. Grab yours today!
