REGIONAL FOCUS - THAILAND


reframe global perceptions of Thailand as a cacao origin? The biggest misconception is simply a lack of awareness. Many people do not know that Thailand produces cacao at all. Thailand has a young but rapidly developing cacao industry, and most consumers outside the region have never tasted Thai grown chocolate. Thai cacao has unique characteristics.


Many farms use Chumphon1, a varietal adapted to the Thai climate that produces a friendly and approachable flavour profile. Cacao here is often intercropped with other fruit trees, which creates a sustainable farming environment that does not require clearing land. However, because the industry is still developing, most people outside Thailand have no context for what Thai cacao should taste like. Our role at Siamaya is to help change


that. Through our chocolate, our workshops and our work with farmers, we want people to understand that Thailand is producing high quality cacao with a distinctive identity. The more people taste it, the more they appreciate that Thailand is not a future origin, it is already an active and exciting one.


Working directly with Thai cacao farmers requires trust, consistency and shared goals. Can you talk about a particular partnership or moment in the supply chain that exemplifies what ethical sourcing looks like in Thailand? When I first started Siamaya, sourcing consistent quality and volume was difficult. I quickly realised that relationships with producers would be essential, especially because Thailand’s cacao industry is still in its early stages. After working with many producers in the first few years, I eventually met Khun Pathom, who leads the Cocoa Nakorn Lampang Community Social Enterprise. His organisation works with small farmers across northern Thailand and ferments beans in Lampang. Our partnership with him is built on


transparency and long term planning. Each year we sit down together to discuss pricing and volume so that both sides can plan ahead. During times of global price volatility we have revisited and adjusted our agreements rather than abandoning them. Stability helps both sides succeed. We also collaborate on quality. Because we are one of his primary buyers, we give detailed feedback on fermentation, drying and flavour, and those adjustments directly improve the beans. Beyond our main producers, we support


new farmers as they enter the industry. When someone brings us beans, we often


20 • KENNEDY’S CONFECTION • DECEMBER/JANUARY 2025/26


purchase a small sample, make a test batch and return the chocolate along with feedback. This helps farmers learn how their fermentation translates into flavour and gives us a sense of future sourcing opportunities. For me, ethical sourcing is about mutual success, knowledge sharing and long term stability.


Many international consumers still know very little about Thai cacao. What misconceptions do you encounter most often, and how does Siamaya aim to


As a company operating in Chiang Mai, a city rich with craft culture, sustainability values and tourism, how has the local community influenced your brand identity and business philosophy? Chiang Mai is full of sensory richness. The colours, the flavours, the friendly atmosphere and the creativity all influenced how Siamaya developed. I wanted our chocolate to reflect the feeling of being in Thailand. That is why our packaging is so vibrant. Minimalism never felt like the right expression of this place. Thailand is full of colour, so our packaging is full of colour too. Very little white space, plenty of visual energy, and designs that


TODAY MOST THAI CACAO IS SOLD DIRECTLY TO SMALL MAKERS AS SPECIALTY CACAO, AND THIS NICHE MARKET HAS BECOME THE BACKBONE OF THE ENTIRE SECTOR. IT HAS GIVEN FARMERS CONFIDENCE THAT THERE IS FINALLY A RELIABLE PATH FORWARD


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