I have had customers asking me for cacao nibs and roasted and raw cacao beans but have been reluctant to stock these items due to salmonella or other pathogen risk. After seeing cacao beans being fermented and dried in numerous countries I question the safety of these products. Dirt, bugs, drying on asphalt roads etc..I question from all but the most sophisticated winnowing operations to remove the husk. Am I overreacting to the risk ? Does the roasting process kill these pathogens? Is anyone using ultra -violet technology to sterilize the nibs? One request came from a home beer brewer. Would the alcohol distilling process render the nibs safe? Appreciate the feedback..

My newest Sweet Paradise Chocolatier chocolate boutique is soft opening May 1st at the Wailea Gateway Center in Wailea, Maui. The official "Grand Opening" will be June 16th. This has been a 9 month process to get permits and open a store here and it doesn't even have a kitchen! Talk about island time. The store features my own truffle/confection collection focused on Tropical flavors but also bars from various Hawaii chocolate-makers- Original Hawaiian, Malie Kai, Waialua Estate, Madre Chocolate, Garden Isle Chocolate and other bars from around the world. We also carry Tropical Dreams ice cream and sorbets. I will post some pictures next week when our indoor cacao tree is "leafed out" and we can actually put some product in the store.

If you are visiting Maui, please stop in and say hello!

Our Sweet Paradise Chocolatier chocolate kitchen is relocating to Maui next month at the Lahaina Design Center.Buildout is underway! We will have a drip coffee bar, open kitchen concept and walk up counter for chocolate.

I am pleased to announce that my chocolate company, Sweet Paradise Chocolatier will be opening this summer at the Kings Shops at the Waikoloa Beach Resort. My manufacturing kitchen will also move to Waimea, also on the Big Island. The Kailua location will remain and expand to a dessert cafe in addition to chocolates. Despite the economy I am looking forward to this move and direction into the resort world.The little shop is only 300 sf and will also serve gelato and a unique variety of frozen sorbet that comes in the shell and rinds of the fruit-pineapple, coconut, lemon, orange. In addition to our signature tropical confections we will carry bars from around the world and of course locally grown island chocolates.We are printing our chocolate box inserts in Japanese and English for the benefit of the many Japanese tourists we get. Waikoloa is home to The Hilton and Marriott Resorts, the Hilton Grand Vacation Clubs and about a thousand upscale condos and single family homes. The Black Sands neighborhoods boast some of the priciest real estate in Hawaii. Waikoloa is about 25 miles north of Kona on the Kohala Coast. Also within 10 miles are the 4 Seasons Hualalai Resort, the famed Mauna Kea Hotel, Hapuna Beach Prince Resort, The Mauna Lani and Fairmont Orchid Hotels and Spas. The Kings and Queens Shops in Waikoloa is the only shopping on the Kohala Coast and features many upscale retailers like Tiffany, Coach, Tommy Bahama as well as fine art galleries and fine dining like Roys, and Merrimans. We hope to see some of you chocolate lovers in the future with the Chocolate Lovers Travel Club.

Don't know about anyone else but I am in post-Valentines recovery!! What a maddening holiday. I watched thousands of chocolates disappear in what seemed like a 3 day feeding frenzy.The reward is that I get to spend a few days At the Craters Edge in my tree fern forest/B&B in Volcano, Hawaii soaking in the hot tub and watching the first fiddleheads start to wake up from "winter" . Different groups of orchids are blooming now, I don't know the names of all of them but at least 6 varieties are in bloom, and the giant calla lilies are also emerging. Spring is a little earlier than usual at this 3800 ft volcano top.( Kilauea) Since we don't have groundhogs, not sure how that works.... Sitting in the hot tub in the forest gives me a chance to re-group and assess all that went right ( Lemoncello in Waialua Estate 70%!!) and all that went wrong ( Ran out of 2pc and heart boxes). Now my thoughts are turning towards Easter and the 2009 Kona Chocolate Festival. www.konachocolatefestival.comHope everyone else is enjoying a little post Valentines Recovery! Aloha!

Aloha and welcome to my blog/profile/page.I am the owner of Sweet Paradise Chocolatier- I am "artisan" chocolate maker in Hawaii and have a small bohemian confection shop with a full grown replica of a cacao tree inside. Its in the windward town of Kailua on Oahu. ( the town Barack Obama and family vacation in ) All my chocolates are made fresh in small batches using my own recipes and focus on tropical fruit, nut and spice flavors since thats what is most readily available here. I love to embellish my creations with a variety of decoration tecniques from cocoa butters to texture sheets, natural fruit or spice pieces and edible flowers. The perfect chocolate box for me is a visual treat of color, texture form and aroma, afull sensory experience inviting one to step inside and discover the flavors within.I enjoy making chocolate recipes that reflect the cultural diversity found in Hawaii- primarily a fusion of Asian and Polynesian cultures, hence you will find fruits like Yuzu in my creations, Japanese Plum, ( Ume) firey Hawaiian Chili Pepper or various local harvested sea salts. We grow coffee, macadamia nuts, bananas, vanilla, cloves, nutmeg,lemongrass, ginger, kafir lime, jabong, rambutan, mangosteen, wasabe, poha, surinam cherry , green tea, and ohelo berry...the list of fun ingredients to work with here is endless!! A fun afternoon is heading out on a drive across the southern part of the Big Island and picking wild strawberry guavas.They are so fragrant and sweet you can't even ride in the car with them!In addition to my passion for chocolate I own a small lodging property ( www.visitthevolcano.com) outside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, and build timber "kit" homes from cedar I bring down from British Columbia (www.mahanahomes.com) . leisure activities (is there such a thing or did I dream about them?)include walking on the beach with my golden retriever, checking out the farmers markets, riding horses, hiking Hawaii Volcanoes National Park or one of Oahu;s spectacular ridges,reading,internet surfing and listening to jazz and sipping some Red Zinfandel.Thanks for stopping by,Melanie Boudarwww.sweetparadisechocolate.com