Weave Cacao Begins The Quest For New Zealand's Mousse Masters
Mousse Masters is a one-of-a-kind competition designed to captivate the food service industry, showcase the magic of Weave Cacao's couverture chocolate drops, and celebrate the artistry of New Zealand's chefs and bakers.
Legendary chef Peter Gordon is on board as the competition's ambassador and Head Judge. Also on the judging panel are food writer and cookbook author Amber Rose and Weave Cacao co-founder Oonagh Browne, with two more judges to be confirmed.
There are two categories in the competition – Pro Chef and Promising Young Chef – and some exciting prizes up for grabs. Pro Chefs can win a life-changing trip to Papua New Guinea with Peter Gordon and Oonagh Browne, where they will meet and greet with cacao growing communities in PNG, and learn the process – from tree, to bean, to couverture chocolate.
The Most Promising Young Chef will win a year's supply of Weave Cacao couverture (40kg) and a two day Cacao Intensive Training Course with Oonagh Browne in Christchurch.
Peter Gordon says 'I'm thrilled to be Head Judge for this competition, seeing as I could eat chocolate mousse for three meals a day! I've been following the Weave Cacao story for a while now and they're doing amazing work. It's great Pacific chocolate with real purpose.'
Pro chefs can learn more about the entry process and submit their recipes here. Submissions are accepted from now until 30 September.
The Promising Young Chef competition will be judged internally at NZ's top culinary schools.
The finalists from both competitions will create and present their recipes at the grand final event at Elemental Cooking School in Auckland on the 21st of October, 2025.
Weave Cacao Co-founder Oonagh Browne says 'We're so excited to see what New Zealand's talented chefs come up with! Weave couverture chocolate is of world class calibre and this is such a fun way to see it elevated in the most simple yet complex of desserts – the chocolate mousse. It will be an honour to host Peter and the winner in PNG and introduce them to our cacao farming family and what it takes to produce cacao on the ground in the tropics for our couverture chocolate.'
Mousse Masters is presented in proud partnership with Bidfood, Pacific Trade Invest, Food Writers New Zealand, and Elemental Cooking School.
Learn more about Mousse Masters and enter the competition at https://weavecacao.com/mousse-masters-pro-chef-competition-2025/
What is Weave Cacao?
Weave Cacao intertwines premium quality cacao beans from passionate PNG communities and the expertise of master chocolatiers and craft chocolate makers from Aotearoa. Working directly with cacao-growing villages and a small factory in PNG, our team brings you silky-smooth, vegan 58% and 70% couverture drops to elevate your creations.
Made from flavourful, organically grown cacao, our chocolate is 100% plant-based and focused on empowering PNG communities. We're committed to a sustainable, ethical supply chain, with transparent pricing and long-term partnerships. This is a new paradigm in chocolate you can feel good about.
Perfect for: baking, desserts, drinks, ice cream, and (of course) mousse!
Born in NZ ~ Crafted in PNG.
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