Anyone growing rare or heirloom cacao varieties?

[murahilin]

Anyone growing any rare or heirloom cacao varieties? I just read this book 'Wild Chocolate' and it has made me want to try to grow cacao again.

https://www.hcpcacao.org/our-heirloom-farmers.html

[elouicious]

Whatever happened to that young polish chap?

Tomekk?

I bought a bunch of heirloom cacao in the past from him- found his old post but looks like he isnt active any more

https://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=44643.0

[70Malibu]

When I went to Hawaii a few years ago (Maui), we toured the chocolate farm and factory. I got interested in the seeds, so I bought some seeds from Etsy and planted it somewhere in my yard. The variety is Theobroma cocao.

[Jaboticaba45]

I guess the one guy with a ton of cacao varieties would be none other than Bryan Brunner in PR.
And I assume the origin of a lot of the varieties he has came from the experimental station out there.

[murahilin]

Whatever happened to that young polish chap?

Tomekk?

I bought a bunch of heirloom cacao in the past from him- found his old post but looks like he isnt active any more

https://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=44643.0

His last set of posts were from 2021 before he went to Poland for university. I guess he was selling off his entire rare cacao collection at the time.

Any of the plants you bought from him still alive?

[murahilin]

I guess the one guy with a ton of cacao varieties would be none other than Bryan Brunner in PR.
And I assume the origin of a lot of the varieties he has came from the experimental station out there.

That's a good idea to reach out to Bryan to see if he has anything cool. I think the last time I bought cacao fruit from him was 18 years ago.

[murahilin]

When I went to Hawaii a few years ago (Maui), we toured the chocolate farm and factory. I got interested in the seeds, so I bought some seeds from Etsy and planted it somewhere in my yard. The variety is Theobroma cocao.

Did your plants survive?

[Finca La Isla]

What I mostly grow is Matina cacao. We also have a legitimate criollo cacao that produces completely white seeds. I’ve been planting out more of the criollo along with the Matina and some Trinitario.
I’ve also got other theobromas and a few herranias in my collection.
Peter

[murahilin]

What I mostly grow is Matina cacao. We also have a legitimate criollo cacao that produces completely white seeds. I’ve been planting out more of the criollo along with the Matina and some Trinitario.
I’ve also got other theobromas and a few herranias in my collection.
Peter

Oh cool. Do you know if your criollos are 100% criollo like the BFREE ones in Belize? https://www.hcpcacao.org/hcp-11.html

[Finca La Isla]

There was a small agricultural ministry project to search for criollo cacao trees in CR about a year before the pandemic.  I was contacted by a participant and given a grafted tree.  I was told that two trees had been identified and that there were 35 grafts and I got one.  Six months later the guy checked on me and all good.  The pandemic came and the ministry was re structured so I have no idea what happened to those guys.
The tree is not a fast grower but has produced.  The first few pods had white seeds only, completely white.  This is pretty good as there are many other cacao trees around my farm and neighboring farms.  I originally bought an abandoned cacao farm.