As the global chocolate market grapples with soaring prices and tightening supply chains, a quiet revolution is underway in Australia—and it’s unfolding in the rich red soil of Far North Queensland.

Chris Jahnke, a cocoa grower and chocolate maker based near Mission Beach, is at the forefront of a small but growing wave of Australian producers seizing an unexpected opportunity.

Chris’s boutique operation is not known for low prices, yet demand is booming.

“I’ve actually got a waiting list of people wanting to buy Australian cocoa beans and we just don’t have enough to supply them,” he told ABC News.

His farm, nestled about 130km south of Cairns, is becoming a beacon for both domestic and international chocolate makers seeking premium beans.

The global cocoa market has been shaken by ongoing supply issues in West African countries like Ghana and Ivory Coast nations responsible for around 70 per cent of the world’s cocoa. These challenges have caused prices to surge to record highs, pushing manufacturers to look elsewhere. For Chris, it’s a clear signal that change is coming.

“I get calls probably at least once a week from Australian chocolate makers—these are the sort of boutique, bean-to-bar kind of makers—wanting to buy Australian beans,” he explained.

“That’s not just in Australia. We get inquiries from overseas now that we’re becoming a bit more well known.”

Australia’s competitive edge doesn’t end with scarcity elsewhere—it’s also about sustainability. New EU regulations set to take effect this year will ban imports of cocoa grown on land deforested after 2020.

Australia, recently classified as a low-risk country under the EU’s criteria, stands to benefit significantly.

“Deforestation is a common thing in West Africa, which grows 70 per cent of the cocoa, so there is a significant problem for that industry in Europe,” Chris said.

“Deforestation to grow cocoa in Australia doesn’t happen, so right from the get-go we’ve got a significant advantage in the compliance.”

That compliance, paired with rising quality and visibility, could help local producers make a mark globally.

“I think we’ll get to a point where we’ll be … maybe producing a couple of thousand tonnes of cocoa here in Australia, which is still a drop in the ocean in the worldwide cocoa supply,” Chris said.

“But it starts to become a relatively significant portion of that premium chocolate bean market, so we’re actually going to have some impact on an international scale.”