In October 2022, Aunty Tommy's was selected as one of eighteen Pacific producers for Kai Pasifika — a week-long showcase of Blue Pacific cuisine at Homeland, Peter Gordon's Westhaven restaurant, celebrated as "the food embassy for Aotearoa & the Pacific."
We were barely a year old working out of our Glen Eden roastery still figuring things out. And here was our Koko Samoa, set in front of New Zealand chefs, importers, and food media being turned into desserts by some of the Pacific's (and New Zealand's) finest cooks.
Pacific Trade Invest New Zealand told the story directly, naming us as a featured producer: a small, family-owned cacao roastery run by two proud sons of Samoa. Kai Pasifika was one of the first rooms to make space for ours. We've been earning our place at the table ever since.
Sources
Pacific Trade Invest New Zealand Kai Pasifika – Producer Story: Aunty Tommy's Koko Samoa (Facebook, 19 January 2023): https://www.facebook.com/pacifictradeinvestnz/posts/pfbid034zrh1LqbQSQ68rXJgt7TwVmKr47VQPM1poR5xfzBfioa2cvb7wQGqZujoytodpxTl
Pacific Trade Invest New Zealand: Kai Pasifika comes to Kiwi shores: https://pacifictradeinvest.com/stories/focus/pti-new-zealand-kai-pasifika-comes-to-kiwi-shores/
