If you love chocolate and are interested in knowing more about the flourishing cocoa industry of the Solomon Islands, then the 2019 SolChoc Festival is the place to be.

The SolChoc Festival, now in its fourth year, will be a celebration of all things cocoa in Honiara, bringing together key players and partners of the local cocoa industry. A fun and festive affair from 3 – 6 June 2019, the festival brings together the cocoa community and facilitates networking with international cocoa buyers.

The SolChoc Festival brings key players and partners of the Solomon Islands’ cocoa industry. The event is now in its fourth year.

This year, the Pacific Horticultural and Agricultural Market Access Plus (PHAMA Plus) Program, an initiative supported by Australia and New Zealand, is again collaborating with Australian-funded Strongim Bisnis for the SolChoc Festival 2019.

PHAMA Plus is supporting Solomon Islands cocoa producers and exporters to comply with export market protocols to strengthen quality processing systems.The Program has helped to improve the quality and prices of cocoa exports in the Solomon Islands.

The cocoa industry is a significant contributor to rural livelihoods comprising 20,000-25,000 Solomon Islands smallholder farmers. Cocoa is a major agricultural export, accounting for approximately 5.4% of the country’s gross domestic product.

PHAMA Plus has been a partner of the SolChoc Festival since its inauguration in 2015. The Festival will be a hive of events ranging from cooking demonstrations, farmers field day and chocolate tasting with international cocoa experts providing insights to the global cocoa industry. 

PHAMA Plus is proud to support specific cocoa talks during the week by international speakers who will highlight ways to improve cocoa quality standards.

The Festival has grown both in scope and number of contributing members with increasing interest from cocoa farmers. The Festival has also done much to improve the international reputation of Solomon Islands boutique and premium cocoa.

Partners for the event include Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, the Commodities Export Marketing Authority (CEMA), the Solomon Islands Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SICCI), the Rural Development Program (RDP), Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) and sponsors Coral Sea Resort and Casino, Heritage Park Hotel and Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation (SIBC).

For more details of this year’s event, visit the SolChoc Festival Facebook page on @SolChocFestival