Nat Bletter and Dave Elliott are savoring the sweet success of Madre Chocolate. In just three years they’ve made their company one of Hawaii’s go-to sources for all things chocolate.

Prior to partnering with Bletter, Elliott had spent many years working on indigenous land-rights issues in the cacao-growing countries of Ecuador and Bolivia (chocolate is made from cacao beans).

In 2010 he was living in Oaxaca City, the chocolate capital of Mexico. He enjoyed many excellent chocolate drinks there but couldn’t find a fine eating chocolate, which surprised him since Mexico’s chocolate history dates back 4,000 years.

A light bulb clicked on in his head: He could start a chocolate business that respected the environment, supported cacao farmers and was a positive influence in their communities.

The first person Elliott contacted to discuss the idea was Bletter, whom he had met through mutual friends in the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s ethnobotany department. Bletter, who holds a doctorate in ethnobotany, had gotten hooked on chocolate after tasting fresh cacao fruit and beans on Bali in 1997.

Then a New York resident, he began making chocolate from scratch at home. Friends raved about the results, and when he moved to Hawaii in 2009, he befriended cacao farmers who wanted to grow the local chocolate industry.

Bletter saw the potential of launching an artisanal chocolate company, so when Elliott connected with him, the timing was perfect. Thus, Madre Chocolate was born.

"We’re passionate about every aspect of chocolate, from the cultivation of the cacao tree to its rich history in Europe and the Americas to the ingenuity and craftsmanship involved in manufacturing chocolate," Bletter said. "Over the past 16 years, Dave and I have traveled to Bali, Vietnam, Mexico, Guatemala, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Brazil and throughout Hawaii to learn about cacao cultivation, processing techniques and creative uses of chocolate from chefs, farmers, chocolate makers and traditional practitioners."

Hawaii is the only place in the United States where cacao is grown. Madre Chocolate buys raw fermented beans directly from local farmers and cooperatives, then roasts and processes them in small batches.

"Fermentation takes several days, but it’s a key step that brings out the complex flavors, fruity notes and healthy antioxidants in the cacao beans," Bletter said. "Tempering gives chocolate its snap, sheen and smooth texture. It’s a tricky three-part process because you have to keep the chocolate at just the right temperatures. We add ingredients such as hibiscus, lili­koi (passion fruit), chi­potle and smoked salt to create flavorings for our chocolate that aren’t found anywhere else in the world."

Madre Chocolate offers regularly scheduled classes and events that cover these topics and much more. Guided by Bletter and Elliott, the inaugural Experience Hawaiian Cacao and Chocolate Boot Camp will take chocophiles on a five-day adventure on Oahu.

They’ll meet farmers and researchers, taste the lychee­like pulp of the cacao fruit and learn how cacao beans are transformed into chocolate. Highlights include visits to farms in Windward Oahu and the North Shore that produce cacao with an amazing diversity of flavors.

"Each day, our guests will learn about a different aspect of cacao growing and processing from experts in the industry," Bletter said. "We’ve planned a hands-on itinerary that’ll give them great insights from people who’ve made chocolate an important part of their daily lives."

Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer whose travel features for the Star-Advertiser have won several Society of American Travel Writers awards.