2 x 'Malekula Island' Dark Chocolate Bar with Cocoa Nibs by Firetree Chocolate 65g - Vegan Chocolate Bar - Volcanic Chocolate

Crafted from Indonesian island beans, this chocolate has a pleasing blend of cocoa, toasted walnuts, treacle and floral notes.

The cocoa-farming village is in the centre of Malekula island, which you get to by an 8-hour boat journey from Port Vila or flying into a grass strip. The pilot flies over once a day, and if he sees no-one waiting, he will fly on to the next island, so you better not be late for your flight. The main dirt track in the village connects the one store, a church and a well, via a tractor and is as secluded and serene as you can get. The amount of cocoa grown on the island of Malekula doesn’t even register on the cocoa scale of production, which shows how rare it is.

The island is pure paradise, with the only predator being coconut crabs, but as the name suggests and much to our relief, they don’t go after the cocoa pods. In the 1920s cocoa entered the island and through many changes of management and funding and Malekula is now back up and running as a thriving cocoa producing island. And for this, we must champion and support the fine cocoa that grows on the island.

About the Producer
Founded by two passionate chocolate makers and eaters with over 70 years of chocolate experience, we launched firetree in 2019 but have been sourcing rare beans from remote oceanic islands for several years now. We started firetree to create a range of chocolate without parallel. Each island variation we make only uses cocoa from a single estate. We create a range of single estate chocolate bars, all with their own subtle tastes derived from the volcanic soils of the islands the cocoa trees grow on. As we work directly with our farmers, we are able to influence the picking, fermenting and drying of the beans before they are shipped directly to us in the UK.

Our promise on sustainability: Instead of dealing with our farmers through agents, we go to them directly. By cutting out the middle man, the farmers get more for their hard work. Two or three times the market rate in fact. It means they can provide for their families, and commit to high agricultural standards that makes for a great chocolate.