After lunch we got chatting to some fellow travellers- as you do- a couple of ladies who had been staying in Candidasa on Bali’s East Coast.
They were raving about a chocolate factory they had come across on the beach at Jasri Village.
‘It’s in a really strange looking house, down the end of a dirt road at the beach,’ she said. ‘They do some really beautifully packaged soaps as well. If you get the chance you must go.’
So go we did.
Charlie, a US expat, first came to Bali a couple of decades ago looking for a surf- as so many do. Unlike many though, he got to talking to some of the kids on the streets. Why weren’t they in school he asked. No money for school. But what about jobs? No jobs.
So when he came back he created some.
Charlie has a little piece of paradise on the beach at Jasri Village, about 15 minutes north of Candidasa on the way to Kerangasem. It is down the end of a dirt road, it isn’t sign-posted, but our driver was able to stop and ask for direction.
On that little piece of paradise on the beach he has built these really weird looking bamboo structures that seem as if they have been almost transported to this spot.
Out of the central one he conducts chocolate tastings. But this isn’t just any chocolate- this is raw chocolate made from cold pressed cacao beans. The beans are also grown on the island.
The range isn’t huge – some decadent chocolate nibbles, Bali Krunch bars (with black rice for crunch) and organic coconut palm syrup (made from living palm trees). He’s also working on a range of chocolate nut paste.
Also on the property is the soap studio. OMG these are amazing. I bought a few beautifully packaged sets as pressies for friends- Salvador Bali: A Soap Story…
Getting There:
We came across from Legian as a day excursion. Drivers can be hired for the day- rates vary. Drivers can be arranged through your accommodation or negotiate on the street. Expect to pay between 500,000RPI and 800,000RPI (plus a tip) for 8 hours.
Jasri Village is about 15 minutes north of Candidasa on the road to Kerangasem.
And Anyways... 
How cute are those structures?
seriously cute…