Taiwan's premium chocolate makers earn global recognition but climate change threatens growth

Taiwan's emerging premium chocolate industry is achieving international acclaim, but faces a growing threat from climate change. The southern county of Pingtung, known as the "North Pole of cacao," provides ideal warm and humid conditions for cacao trees, imparting a distinctive bright and fruity flavor to Taiwanese beans.

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The main reason was really to help solve a problem facing local agriculture.

Farmers began cultivating cacao in the early 2000s, diversifying from betel nut crops due to health concerns. Warren Hsu, founder of Fu Wan Chocolate, was inspired by a local farmer's cacao pods and established his company in 2015. He emphasizes that while Taiwanese cacao beans may not have a dominant natural flavor profile compared to other regions, meticulous fermentation processes are key to developing unique characteristics that highlight the local terroir.

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I used to be a head chef and I always tried to cook with local ingredients. One day, a farmer brought me some fresh cacao pods and told me they had cacao fruit, but they didn't know how to process it, how to turn it into chocolate or even who to sell it to.

The industry, though small, is expanding rapidly, with cacao production increasing significantly over the last decade. Pingtung now hosts over 100 cacao farmers and numerous chocolate makers. However, production remains largely small-scale and labor-intensive, leading to high costs. Hsu notes that a major hurdle is convincing consumers globally to accept the premium pricing for Taiwanese chocolate, given the production expenses.

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Taiwan's cacao beans don't have a major advantage when it comes to flavour. There are many established cacao-growing regions around the world, each with its own distinctive taste. That's why we have to rely on the fermentation process to create unique flavours and bring out the characteristics of Taiwan's terroir.