Pure Chocolate Indonesia, Sumba Island 100%

On the Indonesian island of Sumba lies Gaura Estate, a family-run cacao plantation.

The estate provides employment for local people, with around 60 full-time staff and additional workers joining during harvest. Workers living on the plantation have access to a school for their children and land on which to grow food for their families.

The estate’s commitment to the community extends beyond its own boundaries. In partnership with Indonesia’s cacao research institute, ICCRI, the team also supports a cacao seedling project to help farmers across the wider region.

After harvesting, the cacao beans are carefully fermented in wooden boxes for five days before being dried in the sun. This important process helps develop the distinctive character of the cacao, with tasting notes often described as bittersweet grapefruit, dried apricot, toasted bread and roasted walnuts.

At Faraway Garden, I take these remarkable beans and transform them into chocolate, working in small batches to bring out the character of their origin.

For me, bean-to-bar chocolate is about more than flavour. It is about knowing where the cacao comes from, appreciating the people who make its journey possible, and sharing a little of that story with you.

I do hope you enjoy this little piece of Sumba!

INGREDIENTS: Cocoa beans (Indonesia, Sumna Island), sugar, 1% cocoa butter (Ecuador).