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With its cocoa sourced from Madagascar and the remote Pacific Islands, such as the Soloman Islands, Firetree Chocolate – a UK artisan chocolate brand – may have been launched in London, but it’s roots are firmly found in some of the world’s most far-flung destinations.

Launched in June 2019 by David Zulman, Martyn O’Dare and Aidan Bishop, who have over 85 years’ experience in the chocolate industry between them, Firetree’s USP is all about this provenance, with the brand celebrating the origins of the unique volcanic cocoa beans that it sources.

The ‘journey’ of the company, which has resulted in seven different types of Firetree chocolate (from 100% to 69% cocoa), starts in the small island estates found in the ‘Pacific Ring of Fire’ – remote islands of the southern Pacific and Oceania regions. This is where you the firetree, or cocoa tree, with its flame-hued pods, grows. It 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, that the company sources its cocoa from.

The brand discovered that these volcanic terroirs, too small for the well-known, larger chocolate brands to consider, produce some of the world’s best quality beans. In fact, almost two-thirds of the world’s chocolate comes from Ghana and the Ivory Coast, whereas the countries from which Firetree cocoa is sourced, only account for just over 1%, highlighting the rarity and uniqueness of flavour.

“Typically, the narratives surrounding super-premium chocolate have been the rather ubiquitous and generic ‘bean to bar’ and ‘craft manufacture’ stories, with little brand information, mythology or symbolism,” says the company. “At Firetree, we want to dig deeper, inform and educate, and by doing so, we hope to spark intrigue about provenance among our customers.”

Here, co-founders David Zulman (DZ) and Martyn O’Dare (Mod), reveal more about their travels and how this has influenced the development of their brand.

The lush, volcanic landscape of the Ring of Fire islands provide the perfect terroir for complex … [+] chocolate.

MoD: From the UK, it takes almost two days to reach the islands where our Firetree cocoa beans are grown. The first impression is overwhelming and you immediately have to get used to the intensity of light that you find there. Once you adapt to this, you can see the islands in their full outstanding beauty. The technicolour cocoa plantations, which are located next to untouched beaches, are an incredible sight. On my first visit to the islands, I was struck by the purity of the air, the open space and the lack of people!

These are extraordinary parts of the world, in terms of beauty and cultures, what place stands out for you and why?

MoD: The iridescent blue lagoons hugging the coast in Vanuatu, the brooding shadow of the massive Mt. Uluman volcano on Karkar Island and the picture-perfect villages located at the end of coastal roads on the Solomon Islands – it’s these places that stick in my mind and make the islands so truly special.

MoD: My favourite island is Buena Vista, it’s a tiny island in the Solomon Island group. It has a very small population of fewer than 100 people – and, basically, it’s like an idyllic Robinson Crusoe outpost. It is difficult to reach, and feels very remote, but it is well worth the trouble. Buena Vista has the most perfect name to describe it, as it boasts the most awe-inspiring views I have ever seen.

DZ: Unlike a vast amount of chocolate companies, we take pride in sourcing exceptional cocoa beans directly from farmers, paying the right price commercially and ethically. We also manage all the logistics ourselves from our factory in Peterborough, England. We roast the cocoa beans whole in the shell to preserve all the wonderful flavours that the bean obtains from the soil.

MoD: Some of these Island States are matriarchal, in terms of property ownership, which helps in allowing women to own farms. Generally speaking, some of the finest cocoa farmers happen to be women, so naturally we work closely with them. Many of the other farms we work with are family run and owned by the brothers and sisters and their families. When we visit, everyone stops to join in the conversation and it’s important to us that we speak with all the people who run and own the farms, regardless of who signs the contract.

This means women also have an opportunity to have control over their income and can re-invest in their families and farms, therefore ensuring the sustainability of the cocoa-growing communities. Nowhere can this be seen more clearly than on a farm found on Makira Island, where farmer Lucy Kazimwane owns the land herself, and exclusively hires women to help produce the cocoa — enlisting the help of men only when needed for occasional heavy lifting work.

DZ: I don’t have any one favourite. A lot depends on the day, what and when I am eating chocolate and simply what taste I fancy at the time. As my colleague Martyn says, it is like having to choose your favourite child, which is unnecessary when you can have them all!

DZ: Our main goal is to broaden our range, distribution and awareness. The world of taste is never-ending, and it is our ongoing challenge to continue exploring exceptional cocoa estates to source beans. There will always be a core range, that loyal consumers will want to regularly revisit, but we are contininuosly looking for something else to tempt them into trying something new.

DZ: It most certainly has affected the business, as many of our customers, both big and small, have had to close and are unsure as to when they will reopen and what changes they will find in the marketplace, when they do. This has caused orders to be postponed and this has had the kind of knock-on affects that is challenging for any business. However, on the more positive side, we have focused on our online presence and sales direct to consumers. We have also innovated with virtual tastings, which have been very popular.

DZ: As well as the literal travels of the cocoa itself, when tasting chocolate, it’s important to let the flavours take you on a journey. Each of our Firetree bars have tasting notes on the packaging to enable this. Every square of our chocolate is designed to be tasted like a fine wine or cognac – by letting the flavour develop on the palate you follow the journey of taste. For example, our 72% Vanuatu bar enables you to experience the taste journey from cherry to soft lemon and then finally white grape.

One of Firetree’s bars, with 75% cocoa originating from the Makira Island, one of the Solomon … [+] Islands.

Our bean-to-bar production methods mean that the flavours of our beans – sourced from the flame-hued pods of the ‘firetree’, which thrive on the uniquely rich, porous volcanic soil of Madagascar and the Solomon Islands – are never lost. The cocoa beans are expertly selected by Firetree farmers and masterfully crafted by skilful chocolatiers to enhance, develop, and bend the taste and create smooth, rich chocolate, which is distinct in its depth and complexity.

The good farming practices and craft manufacturing process includes fermentation, the drying process in the tropical sun, whole-bean roasting in the shell to lock in the flavour, and slow conching. The beans are then sent to our factory in the UK where they are turned into Firetree chocolate, which retains the unique flavours of these volcanic islands. In essence, travel is infused into the core of what we do.

DZ: The look on a person’s face when they are eating our chocolate – the simple pleasure and the pleasant surprise when they realise that they are on a taste journey.

MoD: The thought that we can tease just a little more flavour out of a bean origin, or that undiscovered cocoa estates based on unique soils are yet waiting to be discovered.

suzy@lstchocolatemachine.com
www.lstchocolatemachine.com
whatsapp/whatsapp：+86 15528001618(Suzy)