UK backs Solomon Islands cocoa processing expansion with machine for KOSI

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UK backs Solomon cocoa processing

Highlights

British High Commissioner Paul Turner delivered a new cocoa processing machine to KOSI on 9 October to boost Solomon Islands' value-added cocoa exports.
KOSI expects the machine to increase chocolate paste and finished products output, meeting rising domestic demand and supporting exports to the UK and New Zealand.
In 2024, UK cocoa buyers visited Solomon Islands to forge local partnerships, with Solomon Islands cocoa selected for the new UK brand Cocoa Sisters and attendance planned at Amsterdam Chocoa Fair 2025.

Cocoa processing support and export plans

As reported by GOV.UK, British High Commissioner Paul Turner hands over the new cocoa processing machine to KOSI on Friday 9 October as part of wider UK engagement with Solomon Islands' cocoa sector.

KOSI is seeking to expand its business and raise the value added to locally produced cocoa. Established in Honiara in 2004, the enterprise processes both coconuts and cocoa and now supports more than 1,000 farmers across the country through training, market access and business opportunities that help strengthen rural incomes and local employment.

The company sources cocoa from a network of village producers and acts as a link between farmers and international markets. Turner says the UK is proud to work with social enterprises such as KOSI that add value to local products and help communities prosper across Solomon Islands.

Sector impact in Solomon Islands

The new machine is expected to increase production of chocolate paste and finished chocolate products, helping KOSI meet local demand while also supporting exports to international markets, including the UK and New Zealand. The company says 50% of its cocoa output is now consumed within Solomon Islands, pointing to a growing domestic market alongside export ambitions.

UK involvement in the sector has increased in recent years. In 2024, several UK cocoa buyers visit Solomon Islands to develop partnerships with local producers, a process that leads to Solomon Islands cocoa being selected as an ingredient for the new UK chocolate brand Cocoa Sisters.

The UK also supports Solomon Islands cocoa bean producers and chocolate makers at the Amsterdam Chocoa Fair in February 2025, Europe's largest cocoa trade event. That effort helps producers build connections with prospective buyers in the UK and across Europe.

The Philippines’ push to expand ornamental horticulture exports to Japan highlighted how Manila is trying to strengthen its footprint in a high-value niche where it remains underrepresented compared with its fruit exports. Our publication previously noted that the planned Philippine showcase at Yokohama’s Green X Expo is intended to attract investment and promote climate-resilient farming, while spotlighting products such as Waling-waling orchids and other premium crops for Japanese and international buyers.

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