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| Copyright: King Koko Samoa |
Now doesn't that name bring to mind a good, strong drink?
I'm so happy to welcome to the blog Michael King who is the production specialist at King Koko Samoa. He'll share with us the story of his long association with Samoa's beloved drink, the secret to making quality koko and a promotion that could see you win 10 blocks of King Koko Samoa.
1. Please give us a brief background to your company.
We established King Koko Company in January 2014 after several months of
production and development. We made high quality Koko right off the bat, but we
needed the supplies and facility to make Koko blocks in greater quantities. We’re
now established in Utah County and selling our Koko online and in smaller local
stores. We plan to branch out to stores in cities such as Tacoma, Sacramento, Los
Angeles, Kansas City, and New York City. We want to make our Koko available to
Samoan communities everywhere.
2. Can you tell us a little bit about how you got into the koko Samoa
business?
Growing up in American Samoa I loved the Koko. When my wife and I were
newlyweds in Hawaii we couldn’t find quality Koko Samoa, so I started flying to
Apia to buy all the Koko I could find. My father owned part of the airline, so I could
fly free. He had married a Samoan woman who had family ties to large cocoa
plantations. When she found out that I was traveling so much to buy Koko, she
suggested that I purchase Samoan beans and make the Koko in Hawaii. She taught
me the right way to make perfect Koko Samoa, and I carried the recipe back to
Hawaii with a desire to bring the Koko to the Samoan community living there.
I started importing beans from Samoa and my wife and I would roast and process the
Koko – selling it to about 17 stores on Oahu. Every Saturday I would leave Laie at
7AM and deliver the Koko to my stores. By the time I got back home around Noon,
the stores would be calling for more Koko. But I could never produce enough. Local
Samoans loved our Koko. It has been 30 years since I did that.
Several months ago my son asked me if I still remembered how to make the Koko. I
found that I still remembered some of the secrets that my Samoan mother taught me.
So I knew I still had it in me to produce high quality Koko Samoa. Last fall we
started making Koko again and things have progressed pretty quickly.
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| Copyright: King Koko Samoa |
3. What makes your koko stand out from the rest?
We start with the most important ingredient: the cocoa bean. We select only the
finest bean that has undergone the proper fermentation process. The next step is the
roast, and timing is key. After cooling and winnowing, our nibs are 100% pure cocoa
– no shells or fillers. We then shape our Koko into 8 ounce blocks. Our Koko is
always fresh, and the feedback has been extremely positive. People love our Koko
and keep coming back to the stores for more.
Yes, I remember ordering some koko straight from Samoa once and there were burnt nibs in my drink, which annoyed the heck out of me. Glad that your company thinks quality control is important.
4. In your opinion, what's the ideal food to serve with koko?
Koko Samoa goes very well with any desert or homemade bread or rolls (like
panipopo).
5. Is there anything else you'd like to share with my readers?
Anyone can purchase blocks of King Koko Samoa on our website: kingkoko.com.
The website also lists local stores that carry our Koko. Our Facebook page is our best
resource for product information, recipes, and special promotions. For example,
when we reach 500 likes on our Facebook page, we will be having a giveaway. The
first two people to comment on the Samoan flag picture we post will win 10 free
blocks of King Koko. We’re inviting all our Facebook friends to invite their friends
to like our page.
King Koko Samoa is on Facebook so head over there and like their page so the promotion can get underway. They also have their own dedicated website where you can order online.
Also, if I were in the United States, and I lived in a community where more people were looking for koko, I would be heading to the nearest Asian or Polynesian market and asking them to stock this. Hopefully in the near future, we'll see King Koko Samoa at food festivals, farmer's markets and, dare I say it, supermarkets.
Many thanks to Michael for visiting us. His company is taking us one step closer to having this wonderfully unique Samoan product available to the masses.
You see, I believe that Koko Samoa deserves a higher profile in the cooking world - it needs recognition not just as a drink, but as an ingredient. So, *stepping down from my soapbox*, with my fingers crossed (toes and eyes as well), I hope King Koko Samoa is the company that can do this.
