The Kickstarter Project

The Wellington Chocolate Voyage was successfully backed by Kickstarter. Check out our Kickstarter page here, and have a read below for some information about the project. 

Can you imagine the most beautiful tropical paradise on earth? 

       

And the most mouthwatering, delicious chocolate you’ve ever tasted?

    

The Wellington Chocolate Voyage is a Kickstarter project to bring these things together and help change people’s lives.

We – the team – are Gabe Davidson & Rochelle Harrison, co-founders of the Wellington Chocolate Factory, and international development worker Sera Price.

We want to support high-quality cocoa production in Bougainville, a South Pacific region devastated by civil war. Then we want to use that cocoa to make a uniquely delectable artisan chocolate bar to share with the world.  We see this as part of a new revolution in chocolate, and we want you with us on the adventure as part of our Kickstarter campaign.

Want to help us right now? Go to our Kickstarter page to become a backer, follow us on Facebook, and help spread the word!

The Wellington Chocolate Voyage Kickstarter campaign will:

• Upgrade a South Pacific cocoa plantation – a farming community in Bougainville will be able to improve their production facilities and grow a high-quality crop of unique varietal cocoa
• Buy a tonne of beans – literally. The Wellington Chocolate Factory will purchase 1 tonne of the resulting bean crop at a fair, premium price
• Sail the sparkling seas – in the tradition of legendary ocean voyages and historical trade routes, we will transport the beans from Bougainville to Wellington harbour via sailing ship!
• Make amazing chocolate  – once the beans arrive, we will use our master chocolate-making skills to produce the ‘Bougainville Bar’, a highest quality artisan treat with a unique flavour. Everybody – Kickstarter backers at the appropriate tiers and our Bougainville partners – gets one.

Why be part of this? 

For us, the Wellington Chocolate Voyage combines everything we’re passionate about: making great food, supporting ethical development and trade, connecting with people across the globe, and going on an adventure. We see this as part of the new revolution in artisan chocolate, where mega-industrialised production takes a back seat to skill, care, and people. By backing the project you will be part of:

• Supporting Bougainville – recovering from a 10 year civil war, the Autonomous Region of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea is trying to develop its own economy and future. James Rutana, a legend in the local cocoa industry, wants to rebuild and we want to help him
• Making great food – the Wellington Chocolate Factory is a values driven company who make highest quality bean-to-bar chocolate (and you’ll get your very own bar to try or share or hoard)
• Nurturing unique cocoa varieties – the partnership model we’re trying encourages farmers to grow highest quality crops and earn a premium price for their effort
• Doing it by sailboat! – Sailboats are fun and romantic in all the right ways. Imagine being in Wellington Harbour as the first sail-driven shipment of cocoa beans in over fifty years arrives. If you’re super-keen, imagine coming on the boat with us!

The Wellington Chocolate Voyage was successfully backed via Kickstarter in December 2014. Since then the team has been beavering away with planning and logistics to do all of the above. We have more great surprises, fascinating people and stories to share and learn from. Please keep watching and sharing our blogs, feeding in your comments and suggestions as this is really happening and we would love you to be a part of it.

Thanks!

– Sera, Gabe, and Rochelle

Rochelle and Gabe, co-founders of the Wellington Chocolate Factory

Sera Price (on the right) with Raymond from Bougainville

James Rutana, local cocoa legend; Gabe Davidson, bean to bar guru; Gary, Bougainvillean-Kiwi and James’s mate and cocoa partner