Chocolate and cocoa beans at the stall of Kathleen and Martin Linnix from Tinputz (right), who were the first to win gold at the inaugural 2016 Bougainville Chocolate Festival and whose beans from their Nunu farm are used by small Australian chocolate-maker Jasper + Myrtle to make their award-winning Black Opal chocolate bars (inset)
traders, exporters, industry regulators and
chocolate lovers. This year’s three-
day festival – held in the historic former capital of Arawa in Central Bougainville from September 24- 26 – brought together over 120 farmers to showcase their cocoa and chocolate products but also to take part in training from industry experts that will help them elevate farming and processing practices to global standards.
A program highlight was the annual chocolate competition where farmers submitted 3kg of their best cocoa beans to be judged by a panel of expert chocolatiers from Australia and New Zealand, as well as local representatives from the PNG Cocoa Board, Paradise Foods, and award-winning local
farmer Kathleen Linnix, who was the first to win gold with her husband Martin for their cocoa
on quality, aroma and physical characteristics such as weight and moisture content, with 45 samples advancing to the finals where
at the 2016 festival. Beans were judged
A demonstration of sun-drying cocoa beans
Cacao pods on display
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