Phurich and Warit, two best friends, founded the PARADAi chocolate factory in 2016, after rediscovering abandoned cocoa trees in their home country, in the backyards of Nakhon Si Thammarat.

PARADAi, which means “companions” or “friendship” in Thai, aims to utilize these forgotten plants and has since been purchasing very small quantities of Single Origin cocoa pods from local farmers in different regions of Thailand.

PARADAi works exclusively through direct trade with selected cocoa farmers who cultivate their cocoa purely naturally. These farms are too small to afford organic certification, but they do not use chemicals or pesticides on their plantations. They also grow their cocoa in agroforestry systems with other trees and plants and do not clear forests. For all these reasons, and because they systematically avoid intermediaries, the growers receive a significantly higher price than average for their cocoa beans.

After two years of preparation, PARADAi opened its first chocolate café with a small-batch chocolate factory in Bangkok's Old Town in 2018. Meanwhile, they employ about 25 people who are involved in the production and export of Thai culture through exquisitely designed chocolate.

Since then, PARADAi has regularly received awards at prestigious events:
• “World Best Dark Chocolate” and “Best in Competition” at the International Chocolate Awards 2022.
• “Golden Bean” and 14 other medals awarded by the Academy of Chocolate for 2023 and 2024 alone.