A Place Where Cacao's Supreme
above A canopy of plantain trees provide shade to young coffee plants.
Produced in Collaboration with Discover Puerto Rico
Photography & Words by Alison Engstrom
If you have ever relished in a morsel of bean-to-bar chocolate, you’ll have immediately tasted the difference between it and it’s regular, mass-produced counterpart. As it begins to melt in your mouth, you’ll notice the cocoa flavors unravel and take on complex nuances reminiscent of berries, spices, floral, and nutty notes. In recent years, especially as the artisanal food industry has boomed, there has been a demand for not only better quality, but traceable ingredients that ensure best practices for farmers, the local economy, coupled with a sustainable approach. One such operation is Cacao 360, which is tucked away in the western part of Puerto Rico surrounded by plantain forests and lush vegetation. Founder Decenia Vega Rodríguez is on a mission to reinvigorate the island’s rich cocoa history, which dates back more than 600 years, and to spread as much knowledge about the potential of local, sustainably grown cacao. She wants to enlighten both novices and those who are curious about pursuing a profession in cacao by sharing responsible growing techniques that could expand Puerto Rico’s global cocoa reach.
above Cacao pods have been removed from the freshly harvested fruit.
Before starting the farm, Decenia was teaching marketing, economics, and management and also pursuing a master’s degree. As a requirement to graduation she says, “I researched the viability of agriculture in Puerto Rico, and the data I found shocked me. So, I decided to take action by offering solutions in the agriculture industry.” The food insecurity on the island inspired her to look closer into the field, but her barrier to entry, especially as a woman with a vision, was challenging. “In Puerto Rico, the agriculture industry is dominated by men, who are elderly or whose family has been farming for years. I had all the characteristics not to be considered a good farmer.” She continues, “At first, my father had to accompany me to closed meetings and farmer events because women were not taken into account. Every time I wanted to participate they’d ask me about my father or husband. It was difficult for them to understand that I was the owner of the agricultural project.”
above At Cacao 360, one acre of land, which can span 700 to 800 trees, can produced 2,000 tons of cocoa.
She carried on with the belief and her vision eventually came to life in 2014 when she went on to purchase Semila Hacienda, located on 42 acres. It wasn’t the verdant landscape that it is currently, rather it was a landfill and a dumping ground. They worked to clean up the land and today have transformed it into a thriving farm with 60,000 cacao trees. While there are about 300 varieties of cacao that grow 20 degrees above and below the equator, they only cultivate 12 types that are approved by chocolate connoisseurs from around the globe. Their approach is earth-centric meaning they want to better understand nature so they can use it to their benefit to create the best product. In doing so they employ agroforestry principles, abstain from monocropping—they also grow mangos, breadfruit, coffee, and yucca—do not use pesticides, but instead use the husks as fertilizer, which naturally contains caffeine and traces of nicotine to deter unwanted pests.
The farm has also displayed an inspiring ability to overcome devastation—as has the entire island—since they lost 80% of their trees, their nursery roof, and warehouses during Hurricane Maria in 2017. Rebuilding begins one step at a time and they are working hard to recoup their loss by concentrating on producing cacao grafts, which are guaranteed to produce cacao in two years, versus starting from seed that could take seven years. Decenia says, “The mission with Cacao 360 is to continue promoting the planting of local cocoa to increase the purchase of cocoa from farmers and to make products for export that are pure, free of artificial colors, preservatives, artificial flavors, and everything else that does not come from nature.”
Visit the Hacienda Tours of the farm are available, for more information click here.
above The grafting process begins by using existing branches from the cacao tree.
above Grafting cacao trees is a time-sensitive process and must be done within one and a half minutes from the incision to prevent oxidation. Next, the stems are wrapped in biodegradable tape that will dissolve as the plant matures.
above The cocoa beans are beginning to dry and ferment.
above The property is abundant in tropical flora, like the African tulip tree in bloom.
above Fermented cocoa beans and nibs.