Firetree FROM REMOTE OCEANIC ISLANDS COMES A RICH VOLCANIC CHOCOLATE WITH ITS OWN UNIQUE TASTE. The remote islands of the southern Pacific and Oceania are part of what is known as “the ring of fire”: a circle of 452 volcanoes surrounding that ocean. This is where you will discover the firetree, or cocoa tree, with its flame-hued pods. The firetree thrives on the rich, porous volcanic soil that is found on these islands. It’s here and a few other places in the world like the volcanic island of Madagascar, where we source our cocoa from. But the soil is only the beginning of our story. CRAFT To create a chocolate without parallel, we need cocoa pods ripened to perfection. That’s where the experience and expertise of our local farmers comes in. The pods ripen when they are good and ready, and not all at the same time. So the farmers pass through the estate several times during harvest and pick only the pods that are perfectly ripe. Then it’s onto the fermentation of the cocoa beans. This is more of an art than a science and the best farmers can tell if they have fermented for long enough just using their sense of touch – and years of experience. The beans are then sun dried before they’re sent to the chocolate factory where the skilled craftsmen roast, grind and conche the mixture. This brings out the cocoa’s sumptuous flavours, and helps create a rich volcanic chocolate.