It began as a crazy idea in 1997.
"What if cocoa could be grown in Australia?"
After all, cocoa grows within about 16 degrees of the equator, which meant the top end of Australia it might be possible.
Cadbury Schweppes started the ball rolling in 1998 coralling a consortium called the North Australian Cocoa Development Alliance (NACDA) which included the Australian Federal Government, State Governments of Queensland, Northern Territory and Western Australia, Univiersity of New South Wales, Sydney University of Technology, Timbercorp and Haighs Chocolates, plus a handful of visionary farmers, almost 50 people participated in the massive research project which lasted 15 years.
The first (and still thriving) cocoa plantation in Australia was established near Port Douglas, bordering the ancient Daintree Rainforest. Owned and operated by the Goodman family, this plantation quickly demonstrated that not only was growing cocoa in Australia possible, but the fruit was incredibly consistent and high quality compared with many other long established cocoa growing regions around the world. The fertile soils, topography, coastal aspect and meteorological environment along the Queensland Far North coastline proved to be the perfect haven for growing cocoa. Other plantations in Northern Territory and Western Australia showed some promise, but were not as convincing as the Daintree region and were abandoned.
Having established that Australian grown cocoa was top quality, attention then turned to processing the fresh cocoa fruit so it could be used to make chocolate. It was quickly realised that Australia was radically different to most other cocoa producing countries. Australia has significantly higher wages compared to most countries where cocoa is grown, which are typically equatorial third world countries where labour is cheap and resources are limited. Additionally, the vast size of Australia and the sparse spread of our population meant that transport was also significantly more costly. Far North Queensland was still considered the most commercial viable place to grow and process cocoa because of the road and rail infrastructure up the east coast of Australia which at least would help to keep transport costs down and labourers more readily available.
Processing cocoa is a lengthy and complex process which was already well known, so NACDA focussed on how Australia could leverage our infrastructure and mechanical engineering capabilities, science resources and knowledge to improve efficiency, control and influence flavour profiles and exploit more of the cocoa pod for a range of applications including obviously chocolate, but extending to explore potential uses of the usual cocoa waste byproducts.
The verdict was that Far North Queensland was absolutely ideal for growing cocoa and the farming community there has since adopted cocoa as a diversification crop to help mitigate risks associated with variability in weather, natural disasters and market forces for traditional crops in the region including sugarcane, bananas, coffee and other tropical fruits and nuts. There are today around 30 hectares of cocoa being grown in Far North Queensland. It's a tiny area compared to the massive cocoa plantations in West Africa especially, but there are two things that make Australian cocoa unique and highly desirable...
About Daintree Estates
Daintree Estates was born in 2011.
Our Managing Director Tim Davies was one of the co-founders of Daintree Estates, serving as a company director and secretary for about 9 years before leaving to focus on his ecommerce agency business ZELLIS. The original company sadly went into administration in 2025 and Australian Cocoa & Chocolate Purveyors Pty Ltd acquired the Daintree Estates brand, intellectual properety and some assets. We did this not only to keep the story alive, but to continue the same mindset of exploration and improvement that Australia's cocoa pioneers exhibited. It's our primary aim to continue finding beneficial uses and applications of cocoa and chocolate for Australians to enjoy, and to showcase the very best of Australian cocoa and chocolate to the world.
Daintree Estates is owned and run by the Davies family, Tim, Charlene, Sean and Ryan. We're located in Melbourne, a long way from the humidity of the magnificent Daintree region, but we are in constant communication with our growers and the farming community in Far North Queensland. It's a beautiful collaboration which ensures you get to enjoy and appreciate the senstational natural taste of Australian grown cocoa in every bar of Daintree Estates chocolate, and can explore other amazing nutritious cocoa products such as our delicious Daintree Estates Cocoa Tea, the healthier alternative to coffee and tea.
Thanks for dropping by. We get emails and messages in social media every day from people just like you who have been so amazed by the unique and distinctive taste of Daintree Estates chocolate. We'd love to hear from you too. Share your pics, adventures and moments in our socials or send us a message any time...
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Student & teacher resources for assignments and curriculum on cocoa growing in Australia are available free from Daintree Estates. Just ask.