BFREE Blog
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We are pleased to introduce BFREE’s newest staff member, Advanced Cacao Fellow, Roxanna Chen. Roxanna will spend the next year and a half investigating and determining best post-harvest processing of the criollo cacao at BFREE as well as characterizing the different varieties. She will also get training from experts and become BFREEs chocolate lab technician.…
By Dr. Robert Naczi and Heather Barrett Through his research to document the diversity and conservation status of Belizean sedges, Dr. Robert Naczi of New York Botanical Garden recently discovered a species of beaksedge previously unknown to science. In Belize, the Sedge Family (Cyperaceae) is one of the five largest (most species-rich) plant families. Beaksedges…
Two new faces greet BFREE visitors in 2023. We are happy to introduce Pedro Witz, Office and Hospitality Coordinator, and Mario Teul, Tour Guide and Educator. (Header photo of Mario Teul with students from Kutztown University by Chris Habeck.) Pedro Witz Pedro Witz was born in Puerto Barrios Guatemala in 1987. Shortly after, his parents migrated…
by Michael Rogers This March, BFREE proudly joined as a collaborator in the International Motus Network! Motus, which is Latin for the word ‘movement,’ is the future in migratory ecology studies. Scientists throughout the world are now afixing tiny radio transmitters to their species of interest, be at a thrush, warbler, or even a bat…
By Barney Hall, Wildlife Fellow Dermatemys mawii (Hicatee) hatchlings at the Hicatee Conservation and Research Center (HCRC) are frequently caught during a tour in order to give visitors a hands-on experience and a unique opportunity to hold such a rare turtle. With that being said, each time Tom catches a turtle he quickly analyzes the…
For over two years, Head Park Ranger, Sipriano Canti, has managed a BFREE research project to document wildlife movements throughout the reserve. At all times, he has eight to twelve Panthera wildlife cameras strategically located to capture patterns and activities of mammals and sometimes birds. Canti has decades of experience with documenting wildlife using these…
by the Heirloom Cacao Preservation Fund (HCP) The Heirloom Cacao Preservation Fund (HCP) has partnered with Dr. Lambert A. Motilal to create a comprehensive evaluation of all cacao-growing countries around the world. The Review Of Cacao Explorations and Germplasm Movements is a 300-page review is comprised with riveting information regarding the history, genetics, flavor profiles,…
by Jacob Marlin The flavor attributes of chocolate, especially fine flavor chocolate, is determined by numerous factors: 1. Genetics of the cacao, 2. The farming practices implemented, 3. The location, biophysical features, and climactic conditions of where it is grown (also called terrior), 4. The time of harvest, 5. Fermentation protocols, 6. Drying methods, and…
Over the past three years, BFREE has been doing research and experimentation to develop a model for farming the BFREE Criollo cacao, under its for-profit – Crioco Cacao, LLC. The goal is to create healthy and productive trees that yield cacao beans that are ultimately made into some of the world’s best Heirloom Fine Flavor…
By Robynn Phillips, BFREE Engagement and Communications Coordinator BFREE, our committed partnering organizations and this year’s Hicatee Awareness Month Planning Committee are excited to announce that two (2) billboards have been strategically installed along Belize’s Western Highway. The billboards were printed and installed by Big Signs Belize at the following locations: The billboard design was…
Mailing Address
BFREE Field Station
PO Box 129
Punta Gorda
Belize, Central America
Phone
011.501.621.6685
Email
contact@bfreebz.org
US for BFREE is a Florida non-profit,
tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization.
Mailing Address
BFREE Field Station
PO Box 129
Punta Gorda
Belize, Central America
Phone
011.501.621.6685
Email
contact@bfreebz.org
US for BFREE is a Florida non-profit,
tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization.