Episode 7: Guatemala's Heirloom Awakening

"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.

But that might have something to do with Erick Ac, who is leading HCP’s discovery mission in Guatemala. If your goal is to stumble upon fascinating cacao, just follow Erick around. He’s at the nexus of Guatemala’s fine-flavor cacao network, having launched his own cacao farm, Finca Anna Maria, 15 years ago, and having helped many other farmers in the country get started since. He even helped BFREE get its clonal gardens up and running in neighboring Belize. He’s also the president of Guatemala’s Cocoa Quality Promotion Committee, and he helped establish the agri-chain for getting quality cacao to buyers."

Read the full article!