NZ’s first craft chocolate bar made with Oʻahu-grown cocoa launches alongside trip-to-Hawai‘i giveaway

Wellington Chocolate Factory is bringing a taste of the Hawaiian Islands to Aotearoa, launching the country’s first craft chocolate bar made with cocoa from Oʻahu as it expands its Pasifika collection to include the Hawaiian Islands.

The new Hawai‘i 70% Dark Chocolate bar is a permanent addition to WCF’s Pasifika range. It features cocoa grown on Hawai‘i’s third-largest island, where the high-altitude climate and rich volcanic soils shape the unique flavour of its premium beans - silky dark chocolate, with a creamy mouthfeel, it offers bright citrus notes, delicate florals and a subtle tropical fruit richness.

WCF co-founder Gabe Davidson describes it as one of their best single-origin bars yet.

WCF sources its Oʻahu beans from Māpele Farms, a boutique cocoa farming business led by third-generation farmer Ben Field, who’s helping shape Hawai‘i’s emerging cocoa industry. Since planting his first cocoa tree in 2008, Field has become a pioneer on Oʻahu, now sourcing from around 20 small farms before fermenting and processing beans at Māpele Fields.

“Each island’s soil has aged differently, resulting in flavour profiles as varied as the islands themselves,” says Field. “At its oldest, Oʻahu is three million years old, but in a few places, it cracked open just 50,000 years ago.”

The bar’s wrapper showcases artwork by Lehuauakea, a contemporary indigenous Hawaiian artist known for large-scale installations and modern works on kapa, traditional barkcloth made from the paper mulberry tree (wauke). She says the piece featured on the bar’s artwork is part of a larger body of work spanning the last seven years of her journey with kapa, using earth pigments.

“This piece represents my relationship with the lands where I gather my materials, and motifs that symbolise protection, ancestral stories, and our surrounding environment,” she says.

Her work is held in the collections of numerous museums and institutions, including the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art and the National Gallery of Victoria; this marks the first time her art will be showcased in New Zealand.

For Wellington Chocolate Factory, the latest single-origin bar represents another step in its long-term commitment to champion Pacific-grown cocoa. A visit to Māpele Fields in 2024 by WCF General Manager Matt Williams helped make a Hawaiian bar a reality.

“It was incredible to spend time with Ben and see firsthand the care he puts into producing cocoa that’s unlike anything else I’ve tasted,” says WCF General Manager Matt Williams. “We’re proud to be the first New Zealand chocolate maker to showcase Māpele Fields’ beans, and I hope this is just the start of our adventure with Hawaiian cocoa farmers.”

To celebrate the launch, WCF is giving away a trip for two to Hawai‘i, with support from Hawaiian Airlines and Hawai’i Tourism Authority, including a visit to Māpele Fields and a chance to experience the best of Oʻahu. Every WCF purchase made between 20 November and 18 December counts as one entry into the draw. [Find out more and view terms and conditions here.]

The Hawai‘i Dark Chocolate Bar (RRP $20) is available exclusively from WCF online, at its Eva Street Factory, and its Lambton Quay pop-up store.

About Wellington Chocolate Factory

Small but mighty with a dream of creating a better-tasting world, Wellington Chocolate Factory makes some of the world’s highest-quality, ethical chocolate, guaranteed to take you on a taste adventure from the first bite. Working to ensure a sweeter future for those growing their amazing cocoa beans, they are New Zealand’s original bean-to-bar chocolate maker. Based in Eva Street Wellington, they offer tours choc-full of chocolate goodness and the chance to watch the bean-to-bar magic happen at their delicious factory. To find out more, visit www.wcf.co.nz

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