We help Heirloom family farmers in the growth and prosperity of their farms by adopting an Heirloom Cacao tree on their farm. We make a monthly donation to each farm below.

Below are the Heirloom designated farms we support and a little bit of information about each of them per HCP's website.

Adoption Started: February 14, 2022

"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."

The Cacao Genetic Profile for their heirloom designated cacao is: Criollo 16.3%, Amelonado 32%, Nacional 13.4%, and Upper Amazon Forester 38.3%.

The shared chocolate flavor profile for chocolate made with this heirloom cacao: Early fresh fruit acidity that brings out berries, currants and raspberries. This is followed by a smooth, balances chocolate note that combines a citrus and under ripe mango with the chocolate notes. The bitterness and astringency are balances and under control. The finish of this sample is very long lasting and brings in a tart browned raisin/prune character that has a long staying power.

Adoption Started: December 11, 2020

​"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."

The Cacao Genetic Profile for their heirloom designated cacao is: Amelonado 69.5%, Criollo 27.4%, Parinari 1.1%, Nacional 0.9%, IMC 0.8%, Ucayali 0.32%

The shared chocolate flavor profile for chocolate made with this heirloom cacao: "First, there is an unusually soft/fast melt texture. The flavor is an immediate burst of a fresh fruit brightness of citric and tart red fruits, maybe a slight pineapple note. These yield themselves to a smooth dried fruit, slightly green banana note. Nut and mild nut skin notes become apparent along with a mild oak/light wood character. While chocolate is present, it is more of a background note, quite mild overall."

Producer: Dayvi Jair Rodriguez

Adoption Started: December 11, 2020

"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."

The Cacao Genetic Profile for their heirloom designated cacao is: Criollo 100%.

The shared chocolate flavor profile for chocolate made with this heirloom cacao: "Very mild intensity overall with a smooth emergence of a very mild chocolate intensity. This combined with the simultaneous emergence of a rich mild, lightly roasted nut base that is accompanied by a caramel and mild panella browned sweetness with a "creamy" character. A pleasant lightly floral green tea/spice note emerges in the center taste and finishes with a nut/sllight spice."

Our Cacao Tree Update from March 2022: "Mark, the Cacao Fellow BFREE who is caring for your tree noted your tree is super healthy, was pruned last year and now has perfect structure. This tree is also starting to mature and we expect it to start flowering late this year or next year. It has 90 percent shade."

Adoption Started: December 11, 2020

"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."

The Cacao Genetic Profile for their heirloom designated cacao is: Amelonado 56%, Criollo 23%, IMC 7%, Ucayali 5%, Nacional 5%, LCT EEN 1%, Nanay 1%, Guiana 1%, Purus 1%.

The shared chocolate flavor profile for chocolate made with this heirloom cacao: "The flavor is an immediate burst of a fresh fruit salad-begins with an evanescent brown fruits (dates, figs) then shifts to a red fruit and mixed tropical fruit character with ripe plums, berries, red currant accompanied by a fruit bowl of mango, apricot and pineapple. Mid-taste displays the beginnings of a honey/light-molasses/panella. Light nut notes shift to a nut skins character at the end. The end finishes with hints of vanilla and mocha character. Masculine in its character and intensity."

Producer: David Salvador Torrez

Adoption Started: November 18, 2020

"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."

The Cacao Genetic Profile for their heirloom designated cacao is: Amelonado 57.7%, Ucayali/SCA 38%, IMC 2.4%, Criollo 1.6%, LCT EEN 1.1%, Nanay 0.4%, Parinari 0.3%, Purus 0.3%, Nacional 0.2%, Guiana 0.1%.

The shared chocolate flavor profile for chocolate made with this heirloom cacao: "Smooth, even melt texture with a silky and sensuous feel. Smooth rise of the chocolate blended with mildly tart fresh berry and citrus fruits. Includes yellow fresh fruit notes as well. Center taste has a sweet caramel/toffee character blended with a smooth mild chocolate. Later taste has a nut butter character that is perhaps also contributing to the silky-smooth mouth feel. Balanced complex composition in which the acidity, bitterness and astringency are complementing all the other notes."

Our Cacao Tree Update from February 2022: "Rex Puentespina noted our first planting was 18 Nov 2020. The trees are now 15 months old. Give it another year and a half, your tree will start to bear fruits!"