The Chocolate On Purpose Why!
Welcome to our 'Walumarra' (Guardian/Protector) Chocolate Mob
'Yiradhu marang', that’s First Nations Wiradyuri language for 'good day'.
I’m Fiona, a proud Wiradyuri woman, of the Galari (Lachlan River) on the Central Tablelands of NSW.
I acknowledge Wiradyuri Country, the Country of my old people, who’ve walked the tablelands with respect and stewardship, who connect along the Bila Bula, the Belubula River, across Canowindra, Carcoar and Orange.
The Bila Bula is where I feel the most grounded, sitting beside her watching her flow as she travels along the riverbed and bubbles over the basalt rocks thrown by nearby Gaanha Bula, now known as Mt Canobolas, during ancient volcanic eruptions.
This is my happy place and I extend this happy acknowledgement to the country where you stand today, paying respect to their elders past and present, and honour your connection to that place.
Now I am fortunate to live and operate my business Chocolate On Purpose, Australia's first Indigenous chocolate company, on Gundungurra Country in Moss Vale, on the Southern Highlands of NSW. I’m honoured to stand on this beautiful Country and pay my respect to their Elders past and present.
I’m passionate about the empowerment of Australia’s First Nations People, the oldest living culture on earth.
I’m passionate about equity for our people in all respects, and in particular their sovereignty in the Australian Native Food and Botanical Supply Chain.
I’m passionate about Cultural Provenance of our native foods, and recovery of the inherent rights and sovereignty of first nations women in that space.
Indigenous women traditionally hold and conserve knowledge of Australia’s native botanicals crucial to culture, identity & spirituality, and have been sharing this knowledge through storytelling for over 60,000 years.
My mission is to continue this songline, through storytelling with chocolate.
Our chocolate is a blend of cacao beans from across Ecuador, Ghana and Cote D'Ivoire under the Cocoa Horizons program, and the chocolate process is undertaken in Belgium.
The cacao beans are sustainably grown and ethically sourced, with the Cocoa Horizons program working toward the eradication of child forced labour and raising cacao farmers above the poverty line.
At present, cacao farmers participating in the Cocoa Horizons program and engaged in agroforestry to help them diversity their income while capturing carbon is at 76%.
83,148 farmers accessed micro-credit to develop farm business plans with 43% of these accessing personal coaching to obtain land documentation, and by securing their land farmers are willing to invest in their farms leading to productivity and income increases to rise them above the poverty line.
Ninety-five percent of farmer groups had systems in place to address child labour monitoring and out of 104,395 children interviewed, 85,007 were not involved and those identified cases are under remediation by providing school kits (uniform, shoes, books, pencils) and access to quality education.
Eighty-eight percent of the cocoa farmed by Cocoa Horizon participants was identified as not contributing to deforestation. In addition, farm mapping ensured this cacao is not coming from protected areas. And farmers are embracing environmental protection sensitisation, agroforestry restoration and shade tree distribution, all proven to protect against drought and produce healthier crops, further contributing to farmer prosperity and reduction in the need for forced labour. All resulting in 140,929 tonnes of Co2 being sequestered through these environmental activities.
As a female-led business, we are particularly proud that in 2024 we contributed to 41,632 women becoming cacao farmers. Naomi, one of these female farmers shared, “thanks to the Cocoa Horizons agroforestry training I was able to transform my land and finances. Today, not only can I harvest higher quality cacao but also other food crops like cassava and plantain, which I sell for extra income to feed my family.” This really lights us up.
Our chocolate is palm-oil free, contributing to the disruption of harm to the climate, Indigenous Communities & endangered species. In this past hour we contributed to preventing 174 tonnes of C02 releasing into the atmosphere because we prevented three hundred football field sized tracts of rainforest being burnt to make way for planting of new palm trees, which also prevented further displacement of Indigenous communities & endangered animals. And every day we help prevent the death of sixteen orangutans.
However, this is the very least chocolate brands should do and it is not enough for us.
We are building an Indigenous led supply chain to empower our Communities, and actively contributing to the recovery and reclamation of First Nations’ leadership in the Australian native botanical supply chain, in ways that reflect our inherent rights and sovereignty.
We source botanical ingredients from Indigenous producers where possible, and for every extra production run we increase our buy from an Indigenous farmer by ten kilos, contributing to their increased participation, and sustainable growth, in the supply chain.
Only 1% of producers are First Nations, despite the industry being founded and grown on the back of Cultural wisdom. Of this 1%, even less are Indigenous women, yet traditionally we are the holders of plant knowledge. We are continuing the women’s business of sharing native botanicals, a songline that is important to us as an Indigenous, female-led business.
We purchase Aboriginal Carbon Credits supporting savanna burning in the Tiwi Islands for greenhouse abatement to enable Indigenous community’s increased capacity to care for Country, Culture and Communities, and creation of jobs on Country generating social, cultural and environmental benefits of global significance.
While sharing the traditional use of our botanical ingredients we leverage segues to discuss the bigger Indigenous issues and truth-telling towards Reconciliation in Australia.
We donate percentage of sales to First Nations’ Charities on important dates in the calendar, such as The Healing Foundation on Australia Day and National Apology Day, Deadly Connections during Reconciliation Week, The Indigenous Literacy Foundation during School Book Week, Gunawirra on Mothers’ Day and Dardi Munwurro on Fathers’ Day. This year we are donating to The Healing Foundation during NAIDOC Week, as the theme is ‘For the Elders’.
We are a Certified Social Enterprise with Social Traders, as we operate with a primary social, cultural and environmental purpose, reinvesting profits toward our purpose such that public benefit outweighs private benefit.
Join our Walumarra Chocolate Mob and as a Walumarra (Guardian), work alongside us as a brother, sister, ally.
Mandaang guwu (thank you).
Guwayu (until later).
Fiona & the Chocolate On Purpose Team 💛
Some further info for you if want more 🙂
Chocolate Flavour Varieties
Global Sister Ambassador
