Cacao Fiji wins chocolate awards
Cacao Fiji beans has won two awards at multiple international chocolate competitions this year for their dark milk chocolate bars which is made with over 50 per cent cacao beans.
The International Chocolate Awards announced the winners of the 2018 Americas Competition at New York Metropolitan Region recently.
The 2018 Americas competition saw a record number of entries from North, Latin America and the Caribbean with over 800 products entered by 130 chocolate companies from 16 different countries.
This year’s Asia-Pacific competition was held as a separate competition for the first time in Asia, hosted in Taiwan.
Cacao Fiji Limited founder and director Arif Khan said the award was entered by his chocolate clients who have exclusively used Cacao Fiji beans for their chocolate bars that was entered for the awards.
“We won silver in limited chocolate (United States) – Cacao Fiji Amelonado 2017 – 55 per cent milk chocolate and bronze in Soma chocolatemaker (Canada) – Vanua milk cacao Fiji beans,” Mr Khan said.
“We are proud to supply world class bean from Fiji and are starting to get worldwide recognition in our processing and quality.
“It is certainly a great feeling to get reconfirmation of what we have believed in all along - that we can produce world class cacao.
“We are always positive of the submissions made by our craft chocolate makers that Cacao Fiji beans will win and continue to do so in future.”
The company recently started making chocolate locally, and is seeking new markets to export their products.
“While we mostly export cacao beans for craft chocolate worldwide, we have also started local craft chocolate company, Vanua Chocolate, that is sold at our café and factory at the Challenge Plaza in Waqadra, Nadi,” Mr Khan said.
“We working on exporting to new markets where there is craft chocolate market. “We would like to continue to produce world class beans and need our cocoa farmers to co-operate selling us the wet beans that will go through a central fermentation and drying process.
“That is the only way we can compete and get our volume of export higher.”
Mr Khan said the recent dry spell in the Western Division had affected supply chains.
“At present we still see farmers struggling to process beans themselves only to lose out on market,” he said.
“Cacao Fiji is prepared to buy all farmer beans with guaranteed market at farm gate.” “We are feeling the pinch from drought in Dreketi that has dropped our production and exports in half.daily basis.”