Craft chocolate, cocoa varieties and flavour profiles explained
Posted by R Medd on 23rd Aug 2026
Cocoa varieties explained
The three main varieties of cocoa are Forastero, Criollo and Trinitario. Forastero is 80–90 per cent of world production. The Criollo variety is rare and considered a delicacy. However, its plantations are low-yielding and disease-prone. Venezuela is one of the largest producers of Criollo cocoa. Trinitario, a Criollo and Forastero hybrid is higher in quality than Forastero has higher yields, and is less susceptible to disease. Most of the world’s cocoa is grown in West Africa by subsistence farmers. Learn more in our Basics of cocoa blog
Craft chocolate
Craft chocolate, often designated as "bean-to-bar", refers to small-batch chocolate making where the maker directly controls every stage of processing, prioritizing the intrinsic, terroir-driven flavor profile of specific cocoa beans rather than achieving industrial consistency through heavy processing.
Charley's Craft chocolate varieties
At Charley's Mt Edna plantation in Mission Beach, Far North Queensland, the primary cocoa variety cultivated is Trinitario. Trinitario is a natural hybrid of the Criollo and Forastero varieties. It combines the robust hardiness, disease resistance, and high yield potential of Forastero with the delicate, fine-flavour profile of Criollo. This variety is well-suited to the wet tropical climate and distinct seasonal variations of Far North Queensland.
Australian cocoa growing relies heavily on high yielding hybrid selections originally developed and trialed for North Queensland's environmental conditions (such as selected PNG/Pacific hybrid lines and clones developed at the South Johnstone Research Facility and Centre for Wet tropics.
Terroir & Flavour Profile research - fermentation matters
New research conducted by UQ in conjuction with Charleys and others, shows about half of the flavour in a bar of Australian chocolate is influenced by where the cocoa was fermented. The fermentation location impacts the flavour more than the cocoa plant itself, the research has found. Read the ABC artcile at https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-14/australian-cocoa-and-chocolate-flavour-comes-from-fermentation/107029174
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