Cultural Mélange
The Māori chocolatier putting indigenous Pacific chocolate on the map
by Anna King Shahab
Thomas Netana Wright is breaking ground as a bean-to-bar chocolate maker and chocolatier marrying French techniques, Maori traditions, and Pacific produce.
A minute up the road from the US grocery behemoth beginning with ‘C’ but a whole world away in terms of ethos is Ao Cacao, the bricks-and-mortar cafe, retail store, and factory site for bean-to-bar chocolatier Thomas Netana Wright. ‘Bean-to-bar’ means Ao Cacao buys in cacao beans and makes its chocolate from scratch, which then goes into its tablets, bonbons, and into its glorious iced chocolate, whipped up for me by champion barista Belinda, which I sipped on as Thomas and I sat down to chat.
Ahhhh… the iced chocolate! Made with both powdered chocolate and milk chocolate, it’s incredible – rich, but not overly so, and very moreish. Served alongside was a square of chocolate marshmallow… yet marshmallow doesn’t really describe it because it’s more like a chocolate mousse suspended in a formation I could lift to my lips using fingers.
Born in the UK and raised between Surrey there and Northland here, Thomas inherited a multi-cultural culinary outlook; his maternal British side has Jewish roots and are descendents of the renowned Wright’s Dairy established Chelsea, London, in the 1700s. Meanwhile his dad’s side is of Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Whātua, and Whakatōhea lineage – and both sides place a large emphasis on kai/food.
Ao Cacao made its debut at the esteemed Salon du Chocolat in Paris in late 2023. Thomas knocked off several firsts at the prestigious occasion, being the first indigenous, first Māori, first attendee from the Pacific to showcase wares there. Shortly after, the doors to Ao Cacao’s kitchen shop opened in West Auckland.
Teen dreams to reality
Bonbon flavours at Ao Cacao – these rotate with seasons and reasons, so keep an eye out for what’s on now and what’s up next. Also keep an eye out for a subscription service which Thomas is keen to launch soon…
Salted Caramel
Intense Tahitian Vanilla
NZ Banana Honey
Manuka Caramel
Milo Raro (a fun play on the Jaffa)
Pistachio and Matcha
Buttery Corn
Single Origin 70%
Thomas knew from a young age that he wanted a career in culinary arts; in his early teens he was writing away to celebrity chefs trying to gain work experience. At the age of 17, an apprenticeship with renowned Scottish chocolatier William Curley gained Thomas a mentor he still refers to often – he’s now aiming to take on a couple of apprentices at Ao Cacao by the year’s end, to continue the cycle.
It took several years of back and forth with Thomas Keller’s The French Laundry to gain a 22 year-old Thomas an internship, and that proved a seminal experience. “The level of staff training at The French Laundry was incredible”, he says. “From hands-on experience in the vineyards of Napa to maintaining the restaurant’s garden – it was intense but amazing. [The French Laundry] also had its own bean-to-bar set-up.” The chocolate made there was focused on olive oil, which has inspired one of Ao Cacao’s debut signatures, the Te Tai Tokerau Olive Oil Dark Chocolate Bar 85%. I recommend this as a great starting point for your Ao Cacao journey – it’s about the silkiest thing you can imagine.
Having returned to live in New Zealand in 2018, Thomas worked on the opening team for Park Hyatt in Auckland, and as a pastry chef at Hiakai in Wellington. After a severe burnout, Thomas took a significant break from the industry, and launching Ao Cacao has in many respects been a big part of a healing and growth process.
Specifically Pacific
Putting out feelers for cacao suppliers, and specifically looking for koko Samoa, Thomas says one name kept coming up: Floris Niu. Floris had returned from living in New Zealand to ancestral land in Upolu, Samoa, to take up the cacao farming trade her family had upheld for four generations. Thomas says he admires Floris’ aspirations to help indigenous women farmers gain success in what can be a patriarchal society and industry. Floris brings the cacao beans into New Zealand, at which point Thomas purchases them, roasts them and conches – grinds – them in a specific machine called a melanger over 70-80 hours, to work the nibs into a smooth couverture.
Buying directly from the farmer, Thomas says there is total transparency in where his chocolate comes from, and satisfaction in the knowledge that everyone in the supply chain is getting a fair profit. On the cards this year is an expansion to working with cacao from across the wider Pacific – so as well as from Samoa, the Ao Cacao range will eventually include cacao from Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, and Hawai’i.
Culture and caution
While Thomas is happy to be described as a Māori chocolatier and is bringing elements of Māoritanga (culture and knowledge) into his craft, he says that he’s learned there are areas to tread carefully in – one example being working with ingredients used in rongoā (traditional Maori medicine/system of healing).
Although he had worked with rongoā ingredients such as kawakawa and horopito previously, he says something didn’t feel right about it. “If whānau come to me allowing me to because they wish to have this under their guidance (so the balance is achieved) then I am comfortable with that”, says Thomas, “But I think there is a fine line between bringing more awareness to our culture and commercialising something sacred.
“I've seen restaurants and companies use (and I emphasise the word use) rongoā in cuisine and products without understanding, just seeing it as just another ingredient. Some examples I've tasted have been overly potent, and in the wrong hands could make someone sick. I firmly believe there will come a time where I can allow myself to work with rongoā but right now I am not a practitioner so I don’t feel comfortable with making a horopito bar or a kawakawa bar. But there are plenty of other foods indigenous to or growing ideally in Aotearoa that can be and should be celebrated. I am working on a couple of these and will be launching in the near future.”
Ao Cacao
1/11 Northside Drive, Westgate, Tāmaki Makaurau
In Partnership with Freedom Farms
Lazy Susan is proud to work with Freedom Farms as sponsors of our summer content series. Freedom Farms pork comes from independently audited farms in Aotearoa New Zealand. No exceptions. Freedom Farms is committed to supporting farming that is kinder for farm animals, taking it easy on the environment, and figuring out how to grow a better food future.
