chocolates

Winning the top honour in the Reader’s Digest Most Trusted Brand list comes in an already significant year for Whittaker’s as it celebrates its 125-year anniversary.

Co-chief Operating Officers and fourth generation members of the Whittaker’s family, siblings Holly and Matt Whittaker say the award is especially highly valued by the chocolate company because it is voted on by the New Zealand public.

The souvenir chocolate tin was discovered at the bottom of a box of personal papers from the estate of Australian bush poet Andrew Barton "Banjo" Paterson.

Remarkably, the chocolates were not only unmolested after more than a century, but still looked - almost - good enough to eat.

The chocolate bar, marked into six fingers, still had remnants of old straw packing and silver foil wrapping.

At present, Wilex, uses cocoa supplied by farmers in Upolu and Savaii, but company representative Nathan Wilson says it is also looking at supplies from American Samoa.

A cocoa tree planting programme was spearheaded by American Samoa's Department of Agriculture between 2008 and 2012 and cocoa plantations sprung up in Fagasa, Malaeloa and even in Manua.

Wilex exports chocolates and cocoa powder to New Zealand and Australia and is now promoting its products in the territory.