INTHEBLACK April 2025 - Magazine - Page 29
Leading the charge is Chris Jahnke,
chair of CACAO Ltd, the peak body for
the industry in Australia and Pacific Islands.
Jahnke is also one of the founders of Charley’s
Chocolate, which he co-founded with Lynn
Jahnke when they started growing cocoa trees
on their 400-acre property at Mission Beach
in Far North Queensland in 2012.
The volume of cocoa produced in Australia
is “just a blip” compared to the over 40 other
bean-producing nations, Jahnke says. What
the country lacks in quantity it makes up for
in quality and clean ESG credentials, because
regulatory checks are already in place for
modern slavery and numerous other issues
confronting major cocoa-producing nations.
On the quality front, Jahnke’s beans have
twice topped the international Cocoa of
Excellence awards, a prestigious global
competition that recognises the work of
cacao farmers around the world.
Showing global promise is the Queensland
Department of Agriculture and Fisheries
world-leading research into cocoa genetics,
exploring the unique qualities of cacao
beans grown in the Pacific region. Growers
are found in Fiji, Vanuatu, Samoa and the
Solomon Islands.
Australian beans are highly sought for
their taste and because they satisfy the ethical
sensibilities of bean-to-bar consumers, says
Jahnke. His company’s waiting list for bean
buyers runs to three years.
High labour costs, however, mean
Australian beans are not on the shopping
lists of price-driven confectioners with
the brands that dominate supermarket
shelves. “We have identified that Australian
cocoa can only compete in the premium
chocolate space, rather than in the
commodity space,” says Jahnke. He predicts
the future of the chocolate industry will
follow a similar “premiumisation” path
to the beer and wine industries.
“Our aim is to be price givers, not price
takers,” Jahnke emphasises. The crisis in
the chocolate industry may be tempered
by consumers realising that less is more. ■
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