Origin: Sea salt from Opito Bay, Coromandel, New Zealand
Some ingredients you choose because they work. Others you choose because they make everything else work better. Opito Bay Salt is very much the latter.
We use salt across our entire range, it's one of those quiet, essential ingredients that lifts flavour, balances sweetness, and adds a depth that you notice most when it's missing. But not all salt is created equal, and once you taste Opito Bay, it's very hard to go back to anything else.
The story behind the salt
Perry Cornish and Erin Mone were living corporate lives in Auckland when, they decided to do something a little different. Perry had a bach at Opito Bay on the Coromandel Peninsula, one of the three cleanest beaches in New Zealand, and a growing fascination with artisan salt. The plan seemed simple enough: move to the beach, make salt by hand, see what happens.
What happened was extraordinary.
Using nothing but pristine Coromandel seawater, sunshine, and patience, Perry and Erin began solar evaporating salt in small batches in purpose-built greenhouses. The seawater travels from wild deep ocean currents on the eastern side of the peninsula, through remote uninhabited islands and kelp-laden reefs, before arriving at Opito Bay. It is filtered, settled, and left slowly in shallow solar pans to crystallise under the Coromandel sun. No additives. No machinery. No rushing.
The result is big, translucent crystals with a soft crunch and a beautiful natural minerality; richer, more complex, and more alive than anything you'd find on a supermarket shelf. Because the salt is naturally evaporated rather than processed, the wonderful trace minerals present in the ocean stay in the salt, adding to its distinctive briny flavour. It's what Perry calls "tasting the difference."
The business now ships around the world and has won a remarkable string of awards at the NZ Outstanding Food Producer Awards, including 15 Gold medals for their Natural Sea Salt range, as well as many awards at the NZ Artisan Awards, including 18 golds. Two small producers doing things properly. We love everything about that.
Why we use it
In chocolate, salt is not a seasoning, it's a flavour amplifier. The right salt at the right moment can transform a good caramel into an exceptional one, lifting the burnt sugar notes, cutting through richness, and leaving a finish that lingers in exactly the right way.
The minerality of Opito Bay Salt does something that ordinary table salt or even Himalayan salt simply cannot. It adds a layer of complexity that makes our salted caramels taste of something, of a specific place, a specific coastline, a specific way of doing things. That feels very Pretty Fancy to us.
Where you'll find it in our range
Salted Vanilla Bonbon — You're a Star collection (Silver, NZ Artisan Awards 2024 & 2025) A rich, buttery caramel infused with Comoros Islands vanilla bean, finished with Opito Bay Salt and encased in 48% milk chocolate. The salt lifts the floral vanilla notes and accentuates the deep, burnt sugar flavour in a way that is quietly extraordinary.
Salted Caramel Peanut Snack Log (Bronze, NZ Artisan Awards 2025) Silky smooth salted vanilla caramel, roasted salted peanuts, and a layer of 49% milk chocolate and peanut gianduja. The salt here brings out the roasted depth of the peanut and keeps the whole thing from tipping into sweetness.
Salted Caramel Milk Chocolate Snack Log (Silver, NZ Artisan Awards 2025) A caramel made with Swiss Mountain Milk from the UNESCO Entlebuch Biosphere, finished with Opito Bay Salt. The minerality of the salt pairs beautifully with the natural complexity of this extraordinary milk chocolate — forest honey, pear and cream caramel notes, perfectly balanced.
The Salted Caramel Chocolate Fancy (New) Salted caramel marshmallow, salted caramel, butter shortbread, wrapped in ethically sourced 36% caramelised white chocolate. The Opito Bay Salt runs through every layer of this Fancy — it is, in many ways, the ingredient that holds the whole thing together.
Salted Caramel Marshmallow (Limited Edition) Our new seasonal marshmallow — soft, pillowy salted caramel dipped in 36% caramelised white chocolate and finished with a delicate sprinkle of Opito Bay salt crystals on top. Simple, considered, and deeply satisfying.
Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate Bomb (New) Smooth salted caramel inside our 45% Bolivian milk chocolate shell. Drop it into hot milk and watch it bloom. The salt gives this one a finish that lingers long after the mug is empty.
Pretty Fancy Chocolate is made in small batches in our kitchen in Muriwai Beach, Auckland. We choose every ingredient with intention — because what goes in is what comes out.
Explore the Opito Bay Salt range at www.opitobaysalt.co.nz