HEIRLOOM CACAO PRESERVATION FUND
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    • Our Heirloom Farmers >
      • AFRICA >
        • Tujikomboe Farmers Group, Tanzania
        • Akesson's Bejofo Estate, Madagascar
      • CENTRAL AMERICA >
        • BFREE, Belize
        • Maya Mountain Cacao, Belize
        • Quantum Cacao, Costa Rica
        • Kampura Farms, Guatemala
        • Finca Flores de Miriam, GUATEMALA
        • Finca Nahuatancillo, GUATEMALA
        • Nicalizo, Nicaragua
        • Chuno, Nicaragua
      • NORTH AMERICA >
        • Hawaii Agriculture Research Center
      • SOUTH AMERICA >
        • Alto Beni, Bolivia
        • Tranquilidad Estate, Bolivia
        • Hacienda Limon, Ecuador
        • ASOANE, Ecuador
        • Piedra de Plata, Ecuador
        • APOVINCES, Ecuador
      • SOUTHEAST ASIA >
        • Pham Thanh Cong, VIETNAM
        • VO Thanh Phuoc, VIETNAM
        • Puentespina Farms, PHILIPPINES
        • Helen de Vista, PHILIPPINES
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  • Resources
    • HCP Protocols
    • HCP Technical Nursery Guide
    • HCP Technical Training Videos
    • The Review
    • The Foundations of Flavor in Madagascar
    • Geological and Early Human Influences On Cacao Flavor
  • Contact
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  • About Us
    • About HCP
    • How HCP Works
    • What is Heirloom Cacao?
    • Leadership
    • Meet Our Partners
    • FAQs
  • Our Heirloom Farmers
    • Our Heirloom Farmers >
      • AFRICA >
        • Tujikomboe Farmers Group, Tanzania
        • Akesson's Bejofo Estate, Madagascar
      • CENTRAL AMERICA >
        • BFREE, Belize
        • Maya Mountain Cacao, Belize
        • Quantum Cacao, Costa Rica
        • Kampura Farms, Guatemala
        • Finca Flores de Miriam, GUATEMALA
        • Finca Nahuatancillo, GUATEMALA
        • Nicalizo, Nicaragua
        • Chuno, Nicaragua
      • NORTH AMERICA >
        • Hawaii Agriculture Research Center
      • SOUTH AMERICA >
        • Alto Beni, Bolivia
        • Tranquilidad Estate, Bolivia
        • Hacienda Limon, Ecuador
        • ASOANE, Ecuador
        • Piedra de Plata, Ecuador
        • APOVINCES, Ecuador
      • SOUTHEAST ASIA >
        • Pham Thanh Cong, VIETNAM
        • VO Thanh Phuoc, VIETNAM
        • Puentespina Farms, PHILIPPINES
        • Helen de Vista, PHILIPPINES
    • Buy Heirloom Beans
    • Apply to the HCP
  • HCP in Action
    • Excellence on the Ground >
      • MEXICO
      • GUATEMALA
      • PERU
      • COLOMBIA
      • MADAGASCAR
    • Action Blog
    • EVENTS
    • Annual Reports
  • Get Involved
    • Donate
    • Ed Seguine Bursary Sponsorship
    • Chocolate Saves the World
    • Buy Heirloom Chocolate
    • Use of the HCP Mark
  • Resources
    • HCP Protocols
    • HCP Technical Nursery Guide
    • HCP Technical Training Videos
    • The Review
    • The Foundations of Flavor in Madagascar
    • Geological and Early Human Influences On Cacao Flavor
  • Contact
    • Subscribe
    • Press

​GUATEMALA


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Episode 7: Guatemala's Heirloom Awakening

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"The little country of Guatemala does not make many people’s lists of fine-cacao paradises, but it’s been on HCP’s radar for years. Here in the heartland of the Maya, chocolate appreciation stretches back to oldest antiquity. Long before cacao was a cash crop, people here were growing a few trees in their yard for personal use, and many still do. Sometimes it feels like everywhere we turn, there’s another strange and fascinating heirloom tree."
READ THE FULL ARTICLE

Episode 8: Guatemala Gone Wild

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"What do we mean when we say something is “wild”? To most of us, something is wild if it’s untamed, uncivilized, still living in an area with minimal human influence, and thus a good representative of how things used to be before people remade the world to their own tastes.
...

One of HCP’s primary goals on its Guatemala journey, a goal that gains urgency as the last forests in Central America get cleared, both legally and illegally, and the cacao goes with them. Sometimes it can feel like a hopeless battle, but we can now say that our hopes are much higher than they were a few weeks ago. This is one of those rare cases where results easily exceeded our expectations."
READ THE FULL ARTICLE

Catch up on the series!

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Missed the latest episodes of the HCP's discovery expedition through Mexico? Click below to get up to speed, watch the episodes, and read about the journey.
Watch now

Background

In 2020 the HCP was granted funding through the Lesley Family Foundation program, which was broken down into three distinct phases.

Phase 1: Research
An in-depth investigation into past cacao discovery efforts has been conducted through research, surveying all existing literature and reports on the topic, connecting with people who have conducted discovery expeditions of their own through interviews to identify where there are gaps in research and where there is a need for expeditions.
An extensive report by Lambert A. Motilal titled, "The Review of Cacao Expeditions and Germplasm Movements" has been written, and published on October 17th, 2022 based on this research.

Phase 2: Expeditions
In 2023, the HCP will conduct expeditions to identified locations in Central and South America to discover the world’s rarest, most flavorful cacao. The main objective of the discovery expeditions is to unearth additional cacao trees that are unique in flavor and genetics, map and document them for future preservation and scientific research, and provide initial infrastructure and technical support for post-harvest process

​Phase 3: Roadmap for Future Expeditions
The final phase of this program is utilizing the information from The Review and HCP expeditions in order to develop a roadmap to steer future expeditions to uncover and preserve fine flavor Heirloom cacao.

The Crew

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Alyssa D'Adamo
Communications Coordinator,
The Heirloom Cacao Preservation Fund
​Professional Videographer

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Rowan Jacobsen
Jacobsen is an esteemed author of eight books, and is currently working on his ninth, diving into the world of cacao.
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Erick Ac
Agribusiness Advisor at Guatemala Cacao Company, S.A.; Guatemala
The HCP Expeditions to Mexico, Guatemala and Peru have been made possible by the Lesley Family Foundation. 
support future expeditions
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