Cocoa production in Samoa

History

Cocoa was introduced to Samoa in 1883 when German colonists brought the Criollo variant from British Ceylon. Cultivation began in earnest in 1892 through American merchant Harry Jay Moors, who distributed guides and sold 250,000 seeds at cost between 1895 and 1896. By 1898, paramount chief Mataʻafa Iosefo had about 700 cocoa trees. That year, Forastero plants of the Amelonado type were introduced from Java, and the resulting hybrid became known as Samoan Trinitario.

German and American companies praised the fine quality; the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company noted it was superior in flavor and strength to Ceylon cocoa. Cocoa was popular among foreign planters for mixed plantations, with banana, papaya, and rubber trees providing shade. During the 1898 cocoa rush, the Samoa Weekly Herald predicted cocoa would become the main export. Initially, indigenous Samoans worked the plantations, but colonial authorities later restricted local labor and gave the DHPG sole permission to recruit indentured laborers from German New Guinea, the Gilbert Islands, and the New Hebrides.

Production and consumption

Samoa’s warm, rainy climate and volcanic, nitrogen-rich soils are ideal for growing cocoa. Plantations occupy roughly 1,966.3 hectares along the northwest coasts of Savaiʻi and Upolu, with each farmer using about 0.06 hectares on average. In 2024, the country produced 483 tons of cocoa, placing it 39th among 57 nations. Vaʻai Plantation Organics is the leading exporter. Unlike other Oceanic regions, most Samoan cocoa stays local, turned into koko Samoa—a drink made from ground cocoa mass, usually prepared by women. This beverage sees steady demand year-round at home and in New Zealand, Australia, and American Samoa. Nearly all growers (97% as of 2025) are subsistence farmers. A 2017 shortage caused koko Samoa’s price to triple from 2015 levels.