Our Cacao

Our cacao comes mainly from the farm of Ka Ino Sulibit in Liliw, Laguna. Ka Ino started planting cacao trees in 2016 after he realized that he needed another crop that could bring in additional income to replace what was lost during the disaster brought about by the cocolisap bug infestation of his coconut trees. At around the same time, the Department of Agriculture was pushing for the intercropping of high valued crops, like cacao, with coconut and other fruit trees.

The cacao tree is originally a jungle tree from the Amazon forests. As a young plant, it grows under the shade and protection of the surrounding trees and plants. Intercropping of cacao plants with coconut trees and other fruit trees somewhat simulates the growing environment of cacao in the Amazon forest.

Located in the towns of Liliw and Majayjay, Laguna are Ka Ino’s 10,000 plus cacao trees in separate parcels of land intercropped mainly with coconut trees. If these trees are well managed and cared for, they can produce 20 tons a year of dried fermented beans (at 2 kg per tree annually). With this projection of future production we see a need to train more farm workers in the proper management of cacao trees like pruning, integrated pest management and disease control, and the application of organic fertilizers.

What cacao varieties did Ka Ino plant? Jokingly, he says it’s BCY (“Basta Cacao Yan” in Tagalog), meaning “it’s just cacao.” Actually he has planted a lot of grafted UF18 and maybe BR25 cacao clones that the Department of Agriculture has been giving freely to farmers. They have recommended planting at least three clone varieties from a list approved by the National Seed Industry Council (NSIC). They were chosen based on these criteria - early maturing, early fruit-bearing, high-yielding, high fat content and tolerance to common cacao diseases.

What about heirloom cacao and do we have them in the Mount Banahaw area?

According to the Heirloom Cacao Preservation website, “Heirloom cacao beans are the diamonds of the cacao tree, producing the finest flavor. They are endowed with a combination of historic, cultural, botanical, geographical and flavor value that is the foundation of the best tasting chocolate.” The organization has identified 16 cacao farmers around the world as Heirloom Cacao Farmers including Puentespina Farms in Malagos, Davao, Philippines.

Whether they are heirloom quality or not, we are still excited that we found some old cacao trees thriving in Liliw, Laguna. We would like to study their fruits, identify their genetic profile, and possibly propagate them as a cacao variety unique to the area.