Cacao
A professional crash course for cacao and chocolate lovers!
Recently, I participated in an exciting online training opportunity. The “Chocolate Making from the Bean Program” is a professional two-month course that began on September 27 and concluded on November 29, 2024. Participants who took the course, including me, came from various backgrounds and professions but all had a passion for chocolate! With seven years…
Read MoreRoses and Thorns: A Reflection on Life at BFREE by Cacao Fellow Graduate
There are experiences in life that can be considered life-changing, but nothing compares to spending about 70% of two years in the rainforest. I can confidently say that the two-year fellowship program at BFREE has been one of the most transformative experiences of my life. It all began when I came across a Facebook ad…
Read MoreCollaborative Cacao Research Project
By Roxanna Chen BFREE in collaboration with the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) facilitated a cacao research project at the BFREE’s Field Station in May 2023. The primary objective of the collaboration was to co-design and enhance post-harvest practices and methods for Criollo Cacao which is intercropped and shade-grown in several experimental plots within the…
Read MoreBFREE Welcomes Roxanna Chen as First Advanced Cacao Fellow
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.…
Read More#CantiCam documents wildlife in the cacao agroforest
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…
Read MoreThe Review Of Cacao Explorations and Germplasm Movements
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,…
Read MorePollination and Paternity Testing
By Holly Brabazon Would you believe that small biting midges are cacao’s main pollinator? They’re only about the size of a pin head, and they don’t fly very well either, but with how small cacao flowers are, and how they’re shaped, cacao has to rely on the tiny midge to pollinate its flowers. Unfortunately, midges…
Read MoreCacao Fellow, Mark Canti, Explains the Process of Adopting a Tree from the BFREE Farm:
By Mark Canti Hello, my name is Mark Canti. I’m the BFREE Cacao Fellow, and I oversee the cacao adoption program at BFREE in collaboration with the Heirloom Cacao Preservation Fund. I’m always very excited when I learn that a new tree has been adopted from our farm, and I am eager to tag the newly adopted tree. I…
Read MoreCelebrating Earth Day
Students from Keene High School help plant cacao seeds.
Read MoreCreating Strong Rootstock for Heirloom Cacao
Grafting is the preferred method of vegetative propagation for cacao (Theobroma cacao). Grafting allows farmers to choose the qualities they want in their trees and reduce expenses related to sourcing cacao trees. But before a tree can be grafted, you must grow the rootstock. This year our seeds are coming from Ana Maria farm in…
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