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STITCHING UP A LASTING FRIENDSHIP!

At South Pacific Cacao, we believe great collaborations make the world a better place. They are a valuable connection with people and companies that share our ethos, a recognition of our work, and a meaningful acknowledgement of the Pacific Islands producers we support. 

SPC’s relationship with Stitch Coffee is all that and more. Company owner Nawar Adra promotes the chocolate bars we create for Stitch as “Crafted using only high-quality ingredients that do good” – a perfect description!

A collaboration with SPC’s founder, chocolate evangelist Jessica Pedemont, seemed meant to be, as Nawar recalls it. “My colleague, Tuli, visited Jessica at SPC to sample a new coffee and chocolate concoction she’d created. He raved about his experience and convinced me to meet her,” he says. 

“I’d wanted to create our own chocolate for some time, so I jumped at the chance. I’m so glad I did! We hit it off immediately and have been working together ever since.”

It was a true meeting of the minds. “Our values are perfectly in sync,” Nawar explains. “We both prioritise quality, innovation, and customer service. We put a huge emphasis on social and environmental sustainability, making sure our production processes are as eco-friendly as possible. We create a positive and collaborative atmosphere at work, where everyone is respected and valued. We believe in transparency and open communication, and strive to build meaningful relationships with our partners, customers, and suppliers. 
“Above all, we’re passionate about creating an amazing customer experience – from the quality of our products to the level of customer service we provide.”
As with all SPC collaborations, Jessica makes a point of working with the client directly to produce the perfect bespoke chocolate. It’s an experience Nawar clearly revels in.

“We are always bouncing ideas together and discussing what is next,” he says. “We work on most of the flavours together. Jessica is always asking me to try a new flavour every time I visit SPC. Of course, when it comes to coffee beans, I’m more likely to choose that! We always strive to perfect our products and come up with new ones. It’s been a great partnership.”

SPC has produced four Stitch chocolate bars so far, available only through its café and website: Panama and Costa Rica Coffee Chocolate Bar, Sticky Chai and Chocolate Bar, Matcha Chocolate, and our latest, the Oat Latte Bar. 
Inspired by Stitch’s popular Oat Milk Latte beverage, this vegan milk chocolate bar is made from undeodorised cocoa butter, organic raw sugar, desiccated coconut, oats, white sugar, and vanilla beans, with specialty coffee beans from Rwanda, Colombia and Timor-Leste. It has seductive notes of buttercream and brown sugar, with roasted coconut and caramelised oat pieces for crunch. 
“The feedback from our customers has been absolutely encouraging!”
Nawar says. “All who have purchased our chocolate products come back for more. We take that as a sign of their satisfaction with the quality of ingredients used, as well as Jessica’s unrivalled passion which radiates through every product. What truly sets our chocolate bars apart is the artisan touch in each one.”
So what’s next for SPC and Stitch Coffee? Jessica and Nawar have been working behind the scenes on a design project. “We are beyond excited to launch our very own Stitch coffee-chocolate bar mold! This will open a world of possibilities and mark the beginning of an exciting journey for us,” Nawar reveals.

“Coffee and chocolate have a beautiful relationship with each other – sharing similarities and differences – and when two innovative and creative people come together, the sky’s the limit! There is no stopping us now. I’m looking forward to what the future holds.”

Visit the Stitch Coffee site to buy our SPC/Stitch collaboration chocolate bars or click here3(60%).
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When SPC met Sala

When Jessica Pedemont, South Pacific Cacaos Chief Chocolate Evangelist, dined at Sydney’s newest waterside restaurant Sala Dining, her eyes darted straight to the dessert menu. It wasn’t just her sweet-toothed cravings – Jessica was keen to see the fruits of her efforts in print… and taste them!
Jessica collaborated with Danny Russo, Sala’s co-owner and executive chef, in the weeks before restaurant’s recent opening. Their goal: to be among the first restaurants in Sydney’s competitive dining scene to use South Pacific Cacao’s unique, ethically sourced single-origin chocolate.
 
Danny saw it as a chance to break the default use of mass-produced “premium” European chocolate brands as an ingredient in commercial kitchens.
 
“I love food, and the celebration of food,” he explains. “I think it’s an extremely sad reality that we can find ourselves dining in a local cafe, a fine-dining restaurant alongside the harbour, or a 5-star hotel restaurant in the CBD, and you are probably eating the exact same brand of chocolate in each place.
 
“I want to offer our guests an experience; to taste something that we believe is a unique and amazing product that’s artisan-made and local, with a beautiful story behind it of passion and dedication.”
 
While Danny and Jessica had crossed paths in hospitality over the years, he hadn’t had the opportunity to showcase her South Pacific Cacao chocolates until Sala was in menu development.
 
“We conducted a great deal of product sourcing prior to our opening to find what we consider great products,” Danny says. “It is a tremendous joy to consume chocolate that has been produced locally using just natural ingredients, with cacao beans farmed by our Pacific Island neighbours.
 
“Each of SPC’s chocolates has a unique flavour profile and character that vividly describes the product’s history and manufacturing process. The pure cocoa butter is such a welcome alternative to commercial butters that have undergone processing to eliminate these distinctive flavours. Anyone who has only ever consumed big chocolate brands will find the 75% dark chocolate a real treat.”
 
Sala has two desserts on the current menu that hero South Pacific Cacao products: the signature Sala Hazelnut and the Chocolate Mousse Terzetto Tart.
 
Photo Credit Michael Lewis
Photo Credit Jude Cohen
Chocolate Mousse Terzetto Tart photo credit: Michael Lewis
Sala Hazelnut photo credit: Jude Cohen
“We use SPC’s 50% vanilla coconut mylk chocolate in the centre of the Sala Hazelnut. The coconut flavours linger within the chocolate, enhancing the profile of the hazelnut.”
 
The Terzetto Tart is virtually Jessica’s finest South Pacific Cacao chocolate bars in one dish! “After meeting sampling the various chocolate profiles, this dessert was developed to honour the high calibre of SPC chocolate. I wanted to make a dessert that did not overpower the flavour’s complexity. To highlight the best of SPC, we used three distinct chocolates in the tart: 33% Ooh La La caramelised white, 50% vanilla coconut mylk, and 75% dark chocolate.”
 
Danny anticipates using more South Pacific Cacao products as Sala’s menu evolves and values his relationship with SPC as a supplier.
 
“As chefs, our food is like a collection of stories that arrive at your table, whether it’s in a bowl, or in a plate. What a better way to start a story than using SPC – it’s a tale of innovation, authenticity and integrity.”

Check out our feature on delicious.com.au