Want to actually make a difference? You can directly help our Heirloom family farmers in the growth and prosperity of their farms by adopting or gifting an Heirloom Cacao tree on their farm. You can adopt one or more cacao trees for a one year renewal subscription of $15 US per month.
Why should you adopt?
Why should you adopt?
- Commit to directly improving the lives of Heirloom cacao farmers and their families.
- Support cacao biodiversity by helping to sustain small, family owned cacao farms and co-ops growing Heirloom cacao for fine chocolate.
- Assist us in bringing economic, social, and environmental benefits to Heirloom farmers and their communities.
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You will receive...
*NOTE: chocolate bars can be shipped within the US,Canada, the Philippines and EU. Please select the appropriate payment option. |
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Meet the Farmers
HCP #6, Finca Terciopelo, Costa Rica
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Finca Terciopelo (or the Chocolate Farm), has been in production in the southern part of Costa Rica near the town of San Vito since March 2007. Owned by Secret and her late husband Jim, it is in a rural, off-grid location near San Vito. Finca Terciopelo was designated as Heirloom in 2015. Since then, they have shared their heirloom seedlings with many small farmers throughout the region.
A few years after buying Finca Terciopelo, they purchased their second farm, Finca Secreta in the Diamante Valley, where they have established a cacao plantation offering tree to bar and educational tours. So far, 1,000 seedlings, saved from the most productive and disease resistant heirloom designated trees at Finca Terciopelo have been planted at Finca Secreta. At Finca Secreta, they hope to play a role in reviving cacao production in the Diamante Valley, which was once abundant in this area, but has been replaced with pasture for cattle. Finca Secreta had been a tree plantation and consisted of 65 acres of Amarillon tree monoculture, which they have slowly but steadily been harvesting and replacing with a great diversity of plants and trees. The farm is also the last large farm in the area growing sustenance crops and aims to keep the tradition of farming alive. |
HCP #8, Municipios de La Dalia, El Cua, Nicaragua
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Nicalizo® producers are located in the communities of La Dalia and El Cua in the northern Nicaragua. They are particularly small (less than 2-3 Ha on average), they are owners of the lands they produce in and the agricultural management that they give to the plantation is conventional (Traditional agricultural methods). Nicalizo® producers have diversified their family production between coffee, basic grains such as rice and beans, and cocoa, however, Nicalizo® cocoa cultivation represents 50% of their economic income. Nicalizo® is a single variety produced by Ingemann Fine Cocoa in Nicaragua. Its pods are characterized by its red color that facilitates producers to classify and separate Nicalizo® at harvest time and hence ensure flavor consistency. Nicalizo® was the 8th cocoa to be designated as Heirloom Cacao and the first from Nicaragua. Click here to meet more of the Nicalizo® Farmers that will be benefiting from your adoption. |
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HCP #10 APOVINCES, Ecuador
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The Association of Organic Producers of Vinces (APOVINCES) was formed in June 2006. It is a co-op in Vinces, Ecuador, made up of about 318 small producers and 986 hectares of cocoa, reaching an average production of 200 tons per year.
APOVINCES was born out of the need to improve the productivity for the small cocoa farmers and living conditions of its farmers and their families. Vinces is considered the heart of the historic Nacional estates of the 18th & 19th centuries. Ecuador is one of the world's leading producers of fine aroma cocoa, recognized for its quality and unmistakable flavor profiles. However, Ecuadorian cocoa has been in danger of extinction on several occasions due to factors such as pests and diseases, and even the social dynamics of farmers. |
HCP #11, BFREE Demonstration Cacao Farm, Belize
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The Belize Foundation for Research and Environmental Education (BFREE) was founded in 1995 with the primary mission of preserving the tropical rainforests of Belize. To achieve this goal, BFREE acquired 1,153 acres of forested land and established a privately protected area and biological field station strategically located at the foothills of the Maya Mountains.
Over 20 years ago, Jacob Marlin, BFREE’s Executive Director, discovered a remnant population of ancient wild Cacao trees on the BFREE private nature reserve. The beans from the wild trees were submitted for flavor analysis and genetic testing to the Heirloom Cacao Preservation Fund (HCP). The results determined that this cacao is genetically 100% pure Criollo parentage with exceptional flavor, and in 2016 received “Heirloom Fine Flavor” Designation from HCP. As a result of this discovery, BFREE began a project to preserve and propagate this rare and wild ancient cacao while investigating its economic, social, and environmental benefits. Today, over 15 acres of cacao are growing in an agroforestry environment, where wildlife like Jaguars, Tapirs, Howler monkeys, Harpy eagles, and Scarlet macaws make their home. Click here for more details on the farm's Heirloom cacao. |
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HCP #12, San Jose de Bocay, Nicaragua
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The Chuno® cocoa variety is harvested from a group of around 90 Cocoa Farmers in the Region of San José de Bocay in the Jinotega department in Northern Nicaragua. San José de Bocay is surrounded by Bosawas, the largest forest reserve in Central America and the third largest in the world. One of the producers ‘motivations to continue expanding the cocoa plantations has been the reforestation of the areas towards the Bosawas reserve and the conservation of secondary forests that have been razed by other plantings and livestock. Chuno® is a single variety produced by Ingemann Fine Cocoa in Nicaragua. Its pods are characterized by its yellow-green colors and its wide and elongated form. It was the 12th cocoa to be designated as Heirloom Cacao and second from Nicaragua to be designated as Heirloom. Click here to meet more of the Chuno® Farmers that will be benefiting from your adoption. |
HCP #16 Puentespina Farms, Philippines
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For a country that sits on the famed cacao belt, the Philippines has had very little to contribute to the world of fine-flavor chocolate. For years its cacao remained a commodity, the dearth in knowledge and technology preventing it from being elevated into the ranks of the world’s best. The Puentespina family of Malagos Agri-Ventures knew that the cacao grown in this part of Mindanao island in the Philippines is of such quality that it could become one of the best in the world; that is, if it was processed correctly. Led by matriarch Charita P. Puentespina, the family sought the help of experts and raised capital to invest in equipment to make tree-to-bar, single-origin premium chocolates. The family also decided that for the venture to become sustainable, it was important to teach local cacao farmers and engage only in fair practices. Today, the farm’s Malagos Chocolate has earned the greatest number of international recognitions for Philippine chocolate. The farm has been designated a producer of Heirloom Cacao, one of only 16 farms to be named as such, and its beans have been named one of the top 50 cacao beans in the world. Click here for more details on the farm's Heirloom cacao.
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HCP Transparency Statement $100.00 US of the adoption fee will go directly to the farmer. $30.00 US of the adoption fee is allocated for the chocolate bar cost, packaging and delivery - anything left from that will go directly to the farmer. Yes, we are buying the bars from our source at cost, not asking them to provide that for free. It's important your adoption fee supports both the farmers and the chocolate makers who make chocolate from the farm's cacao. We can't estimate what the packaging/delivery cost will be ahead of time - that depends on where you reside and when your delivery is scheduled to be delivered. $50.00 of the adoption fee will go to HCP operations budget to continue our mission to provide the farmers with recognition and economic value from their Heirloom designation. |
The HCP’s mission is to “discover, identify and preserve fine flavor Heirloom cacao varieties for the conservation of biological diversity and the empowerment of farming communities”.
