CARING FOR CACAO
In an unspoiled corner of southern Belize, situated in the Toledo District of San Pedro, you find yourself surrounded by 13 hectares of cacao. Here is where Eladio Pop and his family have been growing cacao for generations on their farm, the Agouti Cacao Farm. Pop, now in his late fifties, is regarded as a local legend for organic farming, companion planting and forest mulching. He has spent his whole life caring for cacao, with his father and grandfather teaching him everything he knows.
As an extension of the farm, Pop and his family run Eladio’s Chocolate Adventure Tours. This popular tour includes a half-day visit to his cacao farm, a hands-on chocolate-making workshop and a delicious homemade lunch.
Pop grows three types of cacao on his farm: Criollo, an ancient variety, Forastero, a foreign variety, and Trinitario, a hybrid
