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Kāko Chocolate a teaser for Wills and Kate

Friday 28 September 2012, 10:14AM

By trio communications

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Kāko Chocolate
Kāko Chocolate Credit: Kāko Chocolate

Kāko Chocolate’s Passionfruit Chocolate Hearts were served to tempt Prince William and Kate during their recent South Pacific Royal tour.

Now the brightly coloured chocolate with the explosive passionfruit centre found itself in the spotlight at the 2012 NZ Food Awards.

Kāko Chocolate is the brainchild of New Zealand chocolatier and founder of The Sweetest Little Chocolate Shop franchise Stu Jordan. Kāko Chocolate is only six-months-old, but last night found itself as a finalist against brand heavyweights Tip Top and Whittaker’s Chocolate in the snacks and confectionery category.

The Royal connection came about when the Kiwi company was asked to provide its Kāko Chocolate for the big feast in honour of Prince William and Kate during their stay in the Solomon Islands.

“We were asked to provide special boxes of Kāko chocolate not only as part of the feast, but also as favours on the VIP table,” Stu says. “We also had a larger gift box placed in Will and Kate’s hotel room and later at the resort where they stayed.”

The Passionfruit Chocolate Heart is the first recipe to come from Kāko Chocolate and was made perfectly on the first attempt says Stu.

“If there are chocolate gods I think they were smiling on us that day,” Stu says. “The passionfruit chocolate hearts that I made on that first attempt are exactly the same recipe as the ones we put up for the competition and the ones that made it to the Solomon Islands for Will and Kate.”

Stu believes the difference in his confectionary is the explosion of flavour and colour created by the latest machinery and techniques. Each batch is especially handmade with a custom built colour spraying machine and takes three days to make. The chocolate itself is made of all natural ingredients.

Kāko Chocolate now has several flavours in its praline and truffle range - including vanilla caramel, strawberry cream, lemon lime and bitters and Feijoa Vodka. Kāko has also just launched the first four flavours in its premium tablet range.

“It is important to us that Kāko chocolate engages multiple senses – taste, visual, texture, aroma and is about creating an experience,” says Stu. “We want Kāko to be the place where chocolate and art meet.”

Kāko Chocolate started as a division of the retail network The Sweetest Little Chocolate Shop. As the retail brand grew Stu says he saw a gaping hole in the pure, uncompromising end of the market.

But to fill it meant manufacturing. Stu travelled overseas for training under an award winning, world chocolate master. The experience inspired him to create a visually stunning range, which is backed up with bold flavour profiles and great balance.