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Connected By A Shared Love.
Our family business, The Koko Samoa, gets its name from the Samoan cacao bean and its derived beverage, which is steeped in tradition. Samoan cacao, affectionately referred to as "Koko", is our primary product.
Our Story
The Koko Samoa started as a way to continue the dream of our dad Maalo, who tirelessly nurtured a plantation of cacao, coconuts, bananas and other delicious permaculture produce.
With Love From Samoa
We are a small, family run business based in two locations; the beautiful island of Upolu and Sydney, Australia. We believe that it is important to make small changes in your life to protect what we value most, whether its our health or our environment. We use cacao from trees planted on our farm, and neighbouring villages and we labour alongside other businesses who hold similar values and dreams, to make sure we get the coverage Samoa deserves. Using Koko (cacao) as an ingredient, we are not only able to produce delicious beverages, but also a wide range of products that can be enjoyed anywhere!
Everything Cacao.
Our cacao and cacao husks are single-origin, vegan friendly and 100% organic. The fine flavour profiles comes from a rich history, nutrient dense volcanic soil and lush green mountains surrounded by sea and sun.
Home Isn't A Place. It's A Feeling.
Our other Makeki products help us connect people from all around the world, with a shared love of Samoa.
A Social Enterprise
Through it all, our mission has remained the same. That is to improve the quality of life for Samoan families, by connecting them to a global village.
Cacao has been cultivated in Samoa for over 700 years. Many of our cacao trees at our family farm were planted over 100 years ago, and the beans are hand picked when they are ripe in October. Samoan cacao is becoming more popular not only in Samoa but also across the world, bringing sustainable economic development to families in villages where trees are planted. The tree is in fact a medium to long term investment for a family. We plan to keep planting more trees, as well as acquiring more cacao from other villages, to secure the livelihoods of those families who own land with cacao trees. We also believe that "Koko" are the seeds of prosperity for future generations of Samoa. A portion of our revenue also goes to a movement called Future Proof Samoa, and more details are provided below.
We are quite small still but we are passionate about what we do and we will always be creating new products with our key ingredient.
Meet Lasi. Our Founder
More Than Just A Brand
How We're Doing Our Part
Free Healthcare & Welfare system
We saw first-hand the devastation of the Measles outbreak in Samoa, and we spent time talking with the doctors about the need. We also lost family members because we couldn't get to a healthcare facility in time. This is why we stand behind Future Proof Samoa in their drive to build a healthcare system that caters to all individuals regardless of their circumstances or location.
Counselling & Social Services
Through Future Proof Samoa's partnership with Soul Talk, proceeds will go to supporting a qualified team of qualified counsellors, as well as aid work for vulnerable children, youth, couples, families and individuals of all ages and from different religious denominations. Student and youth support includes migratino concerns, drug and alchol issues and abuse (phyiscal, emotional, sexual).
Keep Kids Safe
Through Future Proof Samoa's partnership with Talofa Kids, we are helping to bring child abuse to a halt. Their vision is to see children thriving in a safe and progressive Samoa and we couldn't be happier about being a part of their mission. Their work includes training workshops and open platforms for discussion, seeking to end crimes being committed against children.
Brown Girl Woke
Through Future Proof Samoa's partnership with Brown Girl Woke, we get to a part of inspiring, educating and empowering young females to lead culture and policy changes for a transformative society. Initiatives include providing clean drinking water in Samoa where needed, raising awareness about domestic violence and sexual abuse. Having three daughters of our own, we stand behind this mission 100%.
Education & Apprenticeship Programs
We believe in the vision of Future Proof Samoa, which is to create an apprenticeship program that will train and up-skill youth for a future in industry. The organisation seeks to create a program that is equivalent to AUS/NZ standards to equip Samoa's local people with industry skills & standards.
Planting & Farming
Beyond our donations to Future Proof Samoa, we strive for sustainable materials, packaging, shipping and zero-waste production. We believe that the privilege of doing business means actively investing in the livelihoods of families as they plant, harvest and sell cacao. We can't do it alone either. In addition to our own plantations, we also purchase from other villages and distributors who share the same heart as we do, and we aren't afraid of attaching a high value to the cacao we source.
