KAMANANUI ESTATE SUCCESS STORY

LESLEY FAMILY FOUNDATION GRANT
December 2023

​Funded by the Lesley Family Foundation, the Heirloom Cacao Preservation fund (HCP) supported the development of the first comprehensive clonal garden of heirloom cacao varieties in Hawaii; distributing over 1,000 grafted heirloom trees in 2022-2023. ​

A view of Kamananui Estate looking up at the mountains (mauna).

Lead by Dan O’Doherty of Cacao Services, Inc., Kamananui Estate in Oahu, HI, is producing hand-pollinated full sibling progeny of heirloom types such as Nacional and locally selected hybrids from Heirloom designated populations. The data collection on an expanded number of Heirloom cacao varieties was compiled into a catalog Hawaii Guide to Heirloom Varieties of Cacao (to be released in 2024, stay tuned!).

Two grafted Heirloom trees in clonal garden at Kamananui Estate bearing fruit at only two years of age.

Dan noted “As many of the seedlings and grafted clones have grown quickly and started to produce fruit, we have exceeded our anticipated timeline of becoming the first source of verified heirloom cacao seeds and scion for growers throughout Hawaii.” The latest round of hand pollinated crosses is currently ripening and will be ready for field planting in mid-2024.

Hawaii is a very small producer of cacao on a world-wide scale, but has received recognition for high quality and unique flavor profile via an Heirloom designation and several Cocoa of Excellence (COE) awards.  Because Hawaii does not suffer from devastating fungal diseases such as frosty pod or witches’ broom, there is a unique opportunity to grow a wide range of varietals without high loss from disease.

Genotyping performed by the United States Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) has revealed high diversity in Hawaiian populations, with many trees being Upper Amazon Hybrids, Upper Amazon x Trinitario hybrids, or classic Trinitario, but also a number of ancient Criollo cultivars.  ​

One hundred grafted heirloom trees in clonal trials at Kauai Agriculture Experiment Station resulting from varieties sourced from Kamananui Estate.

Historically, there have been no clonal gardens or germplasm collections in Hawaii that maintain cacao for distribution that have received Heirloom designations, but now Kamanaui Estate with support from HCP through the Lesley Family Foundation grant, has become a fully operational and has been providing material for the rest of the state.  ​

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In addition to a continuing commercial cacao production and supplying propagative material for other growers, Kamananui Estate will continue to test existing heirloom clones and develop new varieties through breeding and selection. Now that the farm is reaching maturity, it will be used as a demonstration farm for new growers and international groups through Ecole Chocolat to provide training on cacao farm development and post-harvest practices.
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