Senior Community Development Officer Mafi with Teena, founder of Loco for Cocoa, showcasing a range of delicious handcrafted chocolate bars at her local market stall at the Mullum Mullum markets.
For Teena, a proud Kamilaroi and Wiradjuri woman, chocolate is more than a business. It's a creative outlet, a connection to community, and a dream she built from the ground up.
In 2021, after losing her job as a pastry chef and chocolatier towards the end of COVID, Teena found herself at a crossroads. What felt like a major setback soon became the beginning of something new.
Today, she is the founder of Loco for Cocoa, a proudly 100% Indigenous-owned and operated chocolate business based in Narrm/Melbourne. From handcrafted premium chocolate bars to corporate gifting and wholesale partnerships, the business has grown steadily, fuelled by Teena's passion for creating and supporting local producers.
"I wanted to support local growers, makers, farmers," Teena said.
"I love the community I have grown with Loco for Cocoa and love creating."
Building the business was no small feat.
It took Teena almost a year to turn her idea into reality. During that time, she developed her first eight chocolate bars, secured a commercial kitchen and navigated the permits needed to launch the business.
Since then, Loco for Cocoa has continued to grow, attracting retail, wholesale and corporate customers alike. But as opportunities increased, so did the challenge of finding time to work on the business while running it day to day.
Turning ideas into action
Check out these delicious handcrafted chocolate bars made by proud Kamilaroi/Wiradjuri woman Teena, founder of Loco for Cocoa.
Earlier this year, Teena met Community First Development Senior Community Development Officer Mafi at the Mullum Mullum Markets while showcasing her products.
What started as a conversation at her market stall quickly became an opportunity to access practical support for the next stage of her business journey.
At the time, Teena had a clear vision for where she wanted Loco for Cocoa to go. Building wholesale relationships, growing corporate partnerships and strengthening the business's online presence were all priorities.
She had already secured partnerships with wholesale and corporate customers, including TK Maxx, but like many small business owners, finding time to focus on marketing was proving difficult.
"She has an idea of where she wants Loco for Cocoa to be, she just needed support to map out the pathway," Mafi said.
In response to Teena’s identified business goals, Mafi connected Teena with volunteer Kayla to support a tailored marketing project.
Building business capability
For Teena, having dedicated support has been transformative.
"Kayla has been the most amazing volunteer," Teena said.
Together, they have been working on improvements to the Loco for Cocoa website, including new B2B and corporate customer login areas designed to make it easier for businesses to connect with the brand and explore partnership opportunities.
The project is also working to strengthen the business's online presence, with plans for a social media campaign ahead of the holiday gifting season.
These were projects Teena had wanted to tackle for some time but struggled to prioritise while managing production and daily operations.
"[The website] has always been put on the back burner because I have no time for it," she said.
The support is enabling Teena to pursue the priorities and growth pathway she has identified for the business, including focusing on reaching new customers and growing opportunities in the wholesale and corporate space.
Looking ahead
While the marketing support project is assisting with building momentum, Teena is already thinking about what's next.
"I'd like to structure the business more going down the B2B path as well as contract manufacturing," she said.
For Mafi, supporting Teena is about more than business growth. It's about helping a First Nations entrepreneur build a sustainable future on her own terms.
"Through collaboration, the partnership is assisting to build sustainable business capacity, strengthen First Nations branding and aspirations, and create opportunities for economic independence, employment and growth."
For Teena, the support has contributed to accelerating progress that might otherwise have taken much longer.
"Without the help of Community First Development I wouldn't be able to do what I have done in such a short amount of time, so thank you."
As Loco for Cocoa continues to grow, Teena remains focused on the things that inspired her to start the business in the first place: creating exceptional chocolate, building community connections and bringing people together through something sweet.
Our work with Teena is still underway, and we're excited to continue supporting her as she grows Loco for Cocoa.
Stories like Teena's demonstrate the power of community-led enterprises. By connecting First Nations entrepreneurs with the right support at the right time, we are strengthening economic participation, build sustainable businesses and support communities to pursue the futures they define