Chocolate brand from local cocoa growing

By PETER ESILA
PARADISE Foods Ltd says its Queen Emma chocolate products is one of the company’s top growing brands and is providing more than 2,000 cocoa farmers in Papua New Guinea opportunities for their crop.
“The Queen Emma chocolate brand someday will be PNG’s first global brand,” chief executive James Rice said.
Currently, Paradise Foods gets its cocoa supplies from more than 2,000 farmers, one of them is Blaise Vovore, a cocoa farmer in Vunamami village in Kokopo, East New Britain.
Rice said farmers were offered a premium price over market price ranging from K525 to K600 per 60kg bag depending on the quality and source of cocoa beans.
He told The National that Paradise Foods this year has partnered with larger cocoa firms such as Cocoalands, Madang Cocoa Company and Outspan who have a wider and already established farmer base. “Through these, we have seen an increase in volumes supplied to Queen Emma to meet our production demands,” he said.
“We are the only chocolate producer in PNG and the only chocolate producer in the world that personally knows our farmers.
“We exclusively use Papua New Guinea cocoa beans from organic, sustainable, local family farms.
“That’s real fair trade and it means jobs for this country, but it also means the best chocolate in the world because of people like Vovore (a cocoa farmer) and the more than 2,000 small hold family farmers.
“I’m glad I could thank him for his hard work and contribution and I brought with me some Queen Emma chocolate last year when I visited him so he and his family could taste the final result.
“We continue to support our farmers through capacity building and ensure they continue to receive a fair price.”