Gardeners who love chocolate may want to grow cacao and make their own chocolate. Cacao trees grow well here in Hawaii and with room for a small tree where it can have a shady overstory, it’s worth considering. I’ll offer some planting and growing information as well as the basics of bean-to-chocolate making along with some news about an upcoming event to find out more about all of this.
The cacao tree, Theobroma cacao is a tree in the Malvaceae family that is native to the American tropics. Cacao was originally cultivated more than 5,000 years ago in what is presently south east Ecuador. Today, at least 22 different species of Theobroma exist, three of which are commonly grown here in West Hawaii.
Many cacao farmers grow Criollo which produces a soft thin-skinned pod, with light colored seeds and a unique, pleasant aroma. Some prefer Forastero, which is a more plentiful producer and a bit easier to cultivate.
It has a thick-walled pod and seeds with a pungent aroma. Cacao trees easily cross-pollinate and Trinitario is a natural cross of the other two. It is easy to cultivate and produces seeds with good, aromatic flavor. It is best to choose only one type to grow in your location to prevent cross pollination.
Several Big Island chocolate farmers can supply seedlings as well as pods and seeds. Find chocolate farms on the web and call to see if they have pods, seeds or seedlings for sale. Try Puna Chocolate, Pine Village, Kuaiwi Farm or Paradise Meadow in Ka‘u for starters. Several of them offer tours as well.
If you want to start your cacao tree from seed, be sure to get beans directly from a cacao pod or find ones that have been kept moist. Dry seeds may not be viable.
Place a few seeds/beans between damp paper towels and watch for them to put out roots in a few days. Place rooted beans in a small pot filled with damp potting soil and keep them in a warm spot out of direct sun
In about a week, the seeds should send up a sprout. At this point you can place the pot in partial shade until it is “hardened off” and ready for more sun exposure. As the seedling grows, you can transplant it into successively larger pots filled with a rich, damp soil that drains well. You can also begin adding small amounts of fertilizer every few weeks.
Cacao trees can be grown in a large pot or planted into your garden once they are about 2 feet tall. A shady overstory and soil that drains well are key to good cacao production. Consider growing gliricidia known as ‘madre-de-cacao’ as a nitrogen fixing overstory plant that will protect your tree from hot sun and strong winds.
Cacao trees usually start to flower and fruit within three years when they are about five feet tall. Pod production might be slow at first with full production of twenty to thirty pods annually within ten years
The flowers appear on short stems directly on the trunk nearly year-round. A few will develop fruit and become mature cacao pods in about five months. Though pods may not all ripen at the same time, once ripe they can remain on the tree for up to a month before the beans inside start to germinate. Size, color and looseness of the seeds in the pod all help determine ripeness.
To use color as a guide to ripeness, you need to know your variety and the color that indicates ripeness in that species. Sound is a much better indicator of ripeness, however. If, when you tap the pod, it has a firm, solid sound that means the beans inside are tightly packed. As they ripen the beans become looser inside the pod and you’ll get a deeper, more hollow sound.
Once you have ripe pods, making your own chocolate from your tree can be a rewarding process. Start by cracking open the pod and removing the beans. They will be packed in a white, sweet (edible) mucilage. Remove the strings and wrap the bundle either in a cloth or in banana or ti leaves. Keep the bundle in a warm spot allowing the seeds to ferment within five days or less.
Once the fermentation process has removed the mucilaginous covering, you can proceed to dry then roast the beans to make nibs. At an oven temperature between 250 and 300 degrees you will begin to see cracks in the beans after five or ten minutes. Be sure to remove them from the oven before they burn.
These cracked beans are the cacao nibs. They are a bit hard and slightly bitter but are chocolate in its purest form. For those who like dark chocolate or prefer chocolate without sugar, the nibs fit the bill. They can be eaten out of hand or used in baking or as toppings. It will give you and your chocolate loving friends great pleasure knowing you grew them yourself.
If you want to make chocolate candy from the nibs, you’ll need to grind, conch, temper and form the chocolate.
This requires some equipment and more steps where sweeteners, emulsifiers and other flavors are added. These steps are where chocolatiers are able to create unique textures, flavors and shapes.
Several local chocolatiers will offer instruction at the upcoming “Cirque de Chocolate,” This, the 12th Annual Big Island Chocolate Festival will be held April 10 to 12 at the Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort &Spa.
As part of the event, an information-packed tour of the Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory in Kona will be featured on Thursday, April 10.
Agricultural seminars by industry experts on cacao growing and processing, as well as a bean competition, are scheduled for Friday. Among the speakers, local chocolatiers, Dr. Nat Bletter from Madre Chocolate and Maddy Smith from Cocoa Rose Hawaii will talk about cacao fermentation and educational tours, respectively.
Several chocolate-themed culinary demonstrations geared for cooks and home chocolate makers, including one on creating a chocolate sculpture, will take place during the day on Saturday.
An evening gala offers a festive finale to the festival on Saturday evening. The circus theme will be on full display as wonders come alive at the Gala. Attendees are invited to don masks and party finery amid roaming performers and walkabout culinary booths.
Tastings at nearly 15 different savory and sweet culinary booths will be part of the festivities as well as a chocolate fountain, DJ dancing and a silent auction. Gala guests can enjoy unlimited wine and beer as well as iced tea and coffee. There is also a VIP experience.
The complete schedule of events is available at bigislandchocolatefestival.com. All activities and prices are listed there with tickets on sale as well. Mark your calendar for this chocolate lover’s festival and order your tickets soon for this popular event.
Diana Duff is a plant adviser, educator and consultant living on Oahu and working part time in Kona.
Gardening Events
“Pre-order Leaf Resistant Coffee Trees” from UH CTAHR office in Kainaliu. Catimor hybrid seedlings and grafted trees are available. Conventionally grown, not organic. Trees grafted on liberica rootstock (coffee root-knot nematode-tolerant) are $15/ ungrafted seedlings $10. Available first come, first served basis. Email andreak@hawaii.edu to express interest. A waiver and release form must be signed prior to purchase.
Thursdays through March 2025: “Coffee Related Research and Management Update Webinars” Starting at noon. Registration is required at www.hawaiicoffeeed.com/coffeewebinars or contact Matt at (808) 322-0164 two days prior. Live Q&A follows each session.
Thursday, March 13: “Occasional Invasive Pest Mini-Conference” starts at 9:30 a.m. on Zoom. Lisa Keith from USDA will discuss disease management strategies. More info and link from Roshan Manandhar at roshanm@hawaii.edu or (808) 279-3477. July 17-19: “Hawaii Coffee Association Annual Conference” More info at www.hawaiicoffeeassoc.org.
Farmer direct markets
(Check websites for the latest hours and online markets)
Wednesdays and Fridays: Ho‘oulu Farmers Market, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Sheraton Kona Resort at Keauhou Bay.
Saturdays: Keauhou Farmers Market, 8 a.m. to noon at Keauhou Shopping Center; Kamuela Farmer’s Market, 7:30 a.m. to noon at Pukalani Stables; Waimea Town Market, 7:30 a.m. to noon at the Parker School in central Waimea; Waimea Homestead Farmers Market, from 7:30 a.m. to noon at the Waimea middle and elementary school playground.
Sundays: Pure Kona Green Market, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Amy Greenwell Garden in Captain Cook; Hamakua Harvest, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Hwy 19 and Mamane Street in Honokaa.
Plant advice lines
Anytime: konamg@hawaii.edu
Tuesdays and Thursdays: 9 a.m. to noon at UH-CES in Kainaliu: 322-4893 or walk in.
Mon., Tues. and Friday: 9 a.m. to noon at UH-CES at Konohana in Hilo, 981-5199 or himga@hawaii.edu.
Diana Duff is a plant adviser, educator and consultant living on Oahu and working part time in Kona.
