OUR STORY
Yiradhu marang! That's Good Day in the Wiradyuri language.
Yuwindhu Biyuwanha (my name is Fiona). I’m a proud Wiradyuri yinaa (woman) of the Bila Galari (Lachlan River).
Generations of my family have lived on the banks of the Bila Bula (Belubula River), which is part of the Bila Galari (Lachlan River) catchment on the Central Tablelands of NSW.
The Bilabula River’s name is derived from the Wiradyuri language and is thought to mean ‘stony river’, referring to Country peppered with basalt rock from eruptions of Mt Canobolas, a nearby extinct volcano.
Bilabula River
Fiona & Jo
I feel the most grounded when standing on Ngurambang (Country), where the trees are members of our mob and the flowers, fruits and leaves are our food and medicine.
My business is Chocolate On Purpose and, with my mudyibang (good friend & supportive ally) Jo, we proudly work on Wiradyuri Country.
This Wiradyuri Ngurambang (Country) was never ceded. It always was and always will be Aboriginal Land.
Our premier chocolate range is called ‘Bush Food Chocolate’,
a fusion of the finest Belgian chocolate and the best of
Australian Native Botanicals aka ‘Bush Food’.
Ngadhu Marramaldhaany (I am a Creator) and produce artisan, handcrafted chocolate combinations using Australian native botanicals such as:
Garal (Wattleseed)
Boombera (Macadamia Nut)
Gulalung (Finger Limes)
Wyrrung (Wild Rosella)....and many others.
This region of NSW has developed a reputation as a premier gourmet food district and the Chocolate on Purpose innovative & unique chocolate products sit proudly among the award winning food & wine produce of this area. Locals & visitors alike are intrigued by our Bush Food Chocolate flavour combinations and travel to Millthorpe just to buy our chocolate.
Our vision is to share Culture through storytelling with chocolate, educating on the traditional use of the botanicals by our First Nations People, to deepen respect for our wisdom and culture.
Our chocolate is truly a Delicious Taste of Australia.
** Gulburra (Acknowledgement) for Wiradyuri Language used on my website is given to Uncle Stan Grant Snr & Dr John Rudder (Deceased) "A New Wiradyuri Dictionary" and Aunty Iris Reid, Wiradyuri Yalmambildhanny (Teacher) TAFE NSW.
OUR VISION
Chocolate On Purpose is a 100% Indigenous owned business born on Wiradyuri Country at the source of the Bila Bula (Belubula River), in Millthorpe on the Central Tablelands of NSW.
Our signature range of chocolate is called 'Bush Food Chocolate', created by combining melt in the mouth couverture chocolate with Australian native botanicals growing on Country.
OUR PHILOSOPHY
Our mission is to produce quality chocolate creations for both lovers of fine chocolate and those wanting to make the world of chocolate a better place for all, by sourcing Australian native botanicals from Aboriginal Communities around Australia and sustainable cocoa only from Suppliers who are members of the 'Cocoa Horizons' Foundation.
Our vision is to educate the world about the superfood benefits of our Australian native botanicals and the wisdom of our First Nations People in their traditional use, so we are respected for this wisdom and honoured for our culture.
As an Indigenous woman,
I am sharing Culture through
the story of chocolate.
OUR BRAND
EAGLE SPIRIT
Our logo honours my ancestry and our new brand identity embodies the Dreaming Story of Chocolate On Purpose.
"The Eagle Spirit created Country and it was a beautiful place; this sacred Wiradyuri Country that connects us to our Old People, and which provides the land we continue to live and operate our business on today.
Yindyamangidyal Marramarra
Our branding reflects our mission & vision and encapsulates the motto of our business, “Yindyamangidyal Marramarra", meaning “With Respect and Honour, We Create” to keep our culture and traditional wisdom alive.
SUSTAINABILITY
Most chocolate manufacturers remove the Cocoa Butter and sell it to the cosmetic industry, where it is highly prized for its antioxidant and emollient properties.
These chocolate manufacturers then replace the Cocoa Butter with preservatives, saturated fats and oils (increasingly using palm oil), resulting in that plastic texture, greasy film & bitter taste on the palate you experience with a lot of the chocolate you are buying at the moment.
Chocolate On Purpose’ chocolate contains ALL of its Cocoa Butter! Our chocolate will NOT disappoint you as it's the real deal, with real taste and it's real good!
Our premier chocolate range is called ‘Bush Food Chocolate’, a fusion of the finest Belgian chocolate and the best of Australian Native Botanicals aka ‘Bush Food’.
COMMUNITY
We purchase Carbon Credits from the Aboriginal Carbon Foundation (AbCF) to offset our personal & business carbon footprint, currently supporting the Tiwi Islands Savanna Burning for Greenhouse Gas Abatement.
The money raised by AbCF is returned to Tiwi communities to conduct the Savanna Burning, which employs locals and ultimately improves outcomes for those Communities and their People.
We are members of the First Nations Bushfood and Botanical Alliance Australia (FNBFBA) to support them in their mission to return custodianship of the Australian native food industry to our First Australians.
Did you know that fewer than 2% of the providers across the Indigenous food & botanical supply chain are Indigenous? Yet it’s their knowledge and skill that keeps the industry thriving with little return to community and no control of intellectual property. This misbalance must be addressed and we are proud to be a part of the work of FNBFBA to achieve this.
Chocolate On Purpose is grounded in an ethical and sustainable ethos inherent in our business motto, “Yindyamangidyal Marramarra", meaning “With Respect and Honour, We Create”.
Our Australian native botanicals are sourced from growers and Indigenous communities around Australia. Our supplier is committed to raising the profile and accessibility of native Australian ingredients by partnering with growers to increase supply, quality and availability of local produce.
Through their Native Harvest Initiative – established with the help of a team of agronomists and propagators– they provide a range of specialty services and support to assist Indigenous growers and farmers to diversify and/or repurpose their crops.
Choosing Chocolate on Purpose means you not only choose great chocolate taste, you also choose to support cocoa farmers in West Africa and of every pack you purchase, part is reinvested in farmer training and community projects – in partnership with the Cocoa Horizons Foundation.
OUR CHOCOLATE
Our chocolate is a blend of cacao beans from Ecuador, Ivory Coast & Ghana and our supplier is a member of Cocoa Horizons, which is an impact driven program focused on cocoa farmer prosperity and helping build self-sustaining farming communities that protect nature and children. It's an independent, non-profit organization supervised by the Swiss Federal Foundation Supervisory Authority.
The aim is to improve the livelihoods of cocoa farmers & their communities through the promotion of sustainable, entrepreneurial farming, improved productivity, & community development, which protect nature and children.
Chocolate on Purpose use Aromatic Profiling to create original and unique fusions of chocolate & Australian native botanical-based aromatics. This results in chocolate flavour combinations with a depth of flavour that is truly a "Delicious Taste of Australia" and which you are not going to find anywhere else.
