Samoan cacao has been described as chocolate in its purest form and it appears there is a growing demand for it.
Over the past year, the small Australian chocolate business, Living Koko, has gone from importing 500 kilograms of cacao beans from Samoa, to 6 tonnes, as the global pandemic saw many Samoans return to the land and production soar.
Samoa's cacao growers supply chocolate manufacturers around the world including Living Koko in Melbourne, which is run by Phoebe Pruess.
"It felt like a lot of pressure to us... we definitely had to level up here," she said.
Living Koko uses Samoan cacao beans to make a wide variety of products including chocolate, skin care, and tea.
She said her company has been able to use the huge increase in beans because there has been high demand for chocolate products during COVID-19 lockdowns.
"We had Samoan families in Melbourne going back to traditional ways... of making Koko Samoa [a chocolate drink]," she said.
"They were roasting their cacao over open fires in the backyard and teaching their grandkids...how to make traditional foods."