Chocolate egg hunts will liven up the country this Easter Sunday… The chocolate shops of Papeete were taken by storm this week. And local chocolate is still rare, due to a lack of a structured supply chain. Couleur Cacao and Chocolaterie by M are the only ones to produce them. The latter will also close shop…
Denise is a regular. Saturday morning, she comes to buy her favorite cookie, with caramel bits. She learned that morning that the store on Cook Street would close on April 20. The manager wants to devote herself to the development of the cocoa sector in Polynesia. He still has a few Easter pieces left, mostly made from Vanuatu cocoa and other sweets and pastries sold daily. Only 10% of its products come from Polynesian pods, picked here and there from private gardens in Tahiti, Moorea, Raiatea, Tahaa and even the Marquesas. Since its opening in 2020, Morgane Richard has only managed to produce one variety of bars and a few candies made from local cocoa.
There’s not enough. This is why we must focus on developing the sector, setting up training and support for people who wish to plant cocoa and so that we can, from here two to three years, provide all current requests that cannot be honored. We are in discussion with the Minister of Agriculture in Tahiti on this subject…
Morgan Richard
– manager of the Chocolaterie by M
For their part, Laurent and Sarah Bourgeon, at the origin of Couleur Cacao, today manage to offer fifteen varieties of chocolate bars made from local cocoa (flavored with papaya, mango, etc.). On the market since 2009 in Taravao then Arue, the managers understood, a few years ago, that they had every interest in launching their own cocoa plantation if they wanted to perpetuate their local chocolate range.
We started a plantation three years ago on the peninsula with 3 to 4,000 trees. Some have started producing but we will have to wait at least until 2025 for it to be really productive.
Artisan chocolate maker and manager of Couleur Cacao
In fact, these trees only flower after three years in a rather warm and shady environment. Full performance is therefore not imminent. Especially since one hundred kilos of pods only contain ten kilos of beans. Currently, Couleur Cacao managers harvest 8,000 kg of pods each year, but can only use 10 to 15% of them. They thus manufacture 800 kg of local chocolate. Not enough, however, to offer Easter pieces; it will therefore still be imported chocolate this year for the 2024 collection on the theme of… the Olympic Games.
When will there be a structured cocoa sector in fenua? Because the quality is often praised by fine connoisseurs, who describe it as “cocoa.”Character”. In any case, his absence did not slow down sales. Like every year, Easter is the most profitable holiday alongside Christmas and represents 15 to 20% of the annual turnover of chocolatiers.
Otherwise, happy Easter!