Paradise Foods boss tests cocoa beans samples from Vanimo

PARADISE Foods Ltd chief executive officer James Rice is testing samples of cocoa beans from Vanimo, West Sepik, for the first time.
Rice brought 7kg of sample beans to test in Port Moresby after spending Christmas in Lido, a surfing village outside Vanimo town.
Paradise Foods currently buys cocoa beans from eight provinces – Autonomous Region of Bougainville, Morobe, Madang, Northern, Milne Bay, East Sepik, East New Britain and Central.
These are for its Queen Emma chocolate products.
“We have never bought cocoa beans from Vanimo,” Rice said.
“They have good soil and lots of rain, so we are excited to see the results. This is a small group and they are well organised.
“It’s a small amount and we are happy to buy from them.”
Rice went to Vanimo with Pavel Burian, a friend who works for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation in Wewak.
“It was Charles Sirongo, from West Sepik Investment Ltd, who saw me. His company is part of the provincial government trying to develop the economy there,” he said.
“He sent Noel Mundok to find me at the Chinese restaurant on Saturday night and invite me to see the farm.
“Of course, I went to the farm, I love to meet farmers and see where our cocoa beans come from.”