Cacao

Overview

Cacao is a small understory tree whose flowers and pods grow directly from the trunk and branches. Each pod holds sweet, tangy pulp around the beans that are fermented and dried to make chocolate.

History

Cacao comes from the Amazon basin and was domesticated in Central and South America. It is now grown commercially in Hawaiʻi, including on Kauaʻi.

Growing on Kauaʻi

• Needs warmth, high humidity, rich soil, steady moisture, and shelter from wind.
• Grows best under partial shade from taller trees.

Planting and propagation

• Plant fresh seeds (they don’t store) or buy grafted trees.
• Plant under nurse trees such as banana, gliricidia, or ice cream bean.

Care and maintenance

• Mulch heavily with leaves and prunings.
• Prune to a low, open shape.

Role in the guild

Cacao is a classic agroforestry crop: plant it in the shade of gliricidia, ice cream bean, or banana, with vanilla on nearby supports.

Harvest

Pods are ripe when they change color (to yellow, orange, or red, depending on type) and sound hollow when tapped. Cut them off with clippers.

Uses

• Food: fresh pulp; beans fermented, dried, and roasted for chocolate.
• Soil: husks and leaves as mulch.

Problems to watch

• Rats and squirrels on pods.
• Pod rots in very wet, crowded conditions.

General guidance for Kauaʻi; conditions vary by site. Check any new plant at plantpono.org before planting.