Cacao

We have planted Criollo and Trinitario varieties…

The three main cultivar groups used globally to make cocoa and chocolate are Forastero, Criollo and Trinitario. The most prized, rare, and expensive is Criollo, the cocoa bean traditionally used by the Maya indians in Latin America. Globally, only a small portion of chocolate is made from Criollo. It is considered less bitter and more aromatic than other beans, but Criollo trees are generally less disease-resistant.

Cacao (or cocoa) is native to Central America and the Amazan basin. It is a small 4–8 m tall evergreen tree. The seeds (cocoa beans) are used to make chocolate. Cacao trees grow well as understory plants in humid forests, shaded by taller trees.

According to one source, cacao was brought to the Philippines in the 1700s on a Spanish galleon from Mexico transporting pure Criollo.