Cacao Love - Mini Pods, B&W

As a former chocolatier and life-long chocolate enthusiast, I came to the Big Island to pursue my passion for cacao thinking (and hoping!) that I would learn how to grow and make it. I’m still planning to do those things, but thankful for this opportunity to capture all the fabulous details of the plants artistically first.

Hawaii is the only place in the US where cacao can be grown and in fact, this is as far north as can be tolerated by the trees. The cacao here has a unique flavor profile which differs even from the delicious cacao grown on the other Hawaiian Islands. I love that most of the cacao grown here is done so by local families. A few fun facts. Cacao trees do not like wind. The stem of the tiny pink blossoms is very delicate and can be blown off the tree easily. The trees are self-pruning which means that the tree determines which pods will receive nutrients and therefore, which will wither away. Cacao beans are well protected, covered in a white gooey substance within the thick rind of the pod. The beans must be fermented and dried before they become brown in color with a shape very similar to an almond.