Interview: Tomo Zukoshi, Co-Founder of Fijiana Cacao

“If somebody wants to buy anything from another country, they have to be more responsible to the end of it… like a marriage, you have to be responsible. Don’t look at other places. You stick with it.”
-Tomo Zukoshi, Co-Founder of Fijiana Cacao

Fiji is the land of beach getaways, incredibly strong traditions, and a whole lot of agriculture. In fact, I’d say that despite doubling in size each year due to tourism, most Fijians don’t interact at all with tourists, and continue on their lives in the largely rural nation. This is how Tomo came to learn about cacao in the first place, well over a decade ago, living in the small town of SavuSavu.

Over the next several years, Tomo & his family built that small interaction into one of the world’s first value-added craft chocolate companies. His brands, Adi Chocolate & Fijiana Cacao, are now consumed by hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. So in this interview, Tomo & I dig into the founding of his companies, local printing presses, and the marriage between maker & farmer. I hope you enjoy listening to our conversation as much as I enjoyed having it.

Note that Fiji & Fijian cacao was the topic of my interview with Tomo, with the end product being the podcast episode on the islands of Fiji.

Topics We Cover

the path Tomo & his wife Harumi took to found Adi Chocolate & Fijiana Cacao in ~2006
kava as a traditional drink & medicine
typical Fijian taste in chocolate
local demand for local chocolate… and future competition?
expanding into nearby markets, and locational limits
developing packaging that honors the strong Fijian traditions, while also being made completely on the islands
Christmas Island sea salt
cacao’s journey to arrive on Fiji
white chocolate controversy
the delicate relationship farmers have with chocolate makers