The Cacao Tree ~ A Plant of the Forest

Cacao tree in the forest of the Maya Biosphere Reserve, Guatemala

Cacao was not born in open fields, but in the forest, at the heart of a dense, humid, living world. Before becoming a bean, a drink or a paste, cacao is an understory tree, accustomed to shade, filtered light and the close presence of other plants. It grows sheltered by the forest, protected by taller trees, surrounded by roots, insects, birds and micro-organisms, carried by an environment that supports it.

Cacao was never meant to stand alone.

In its natural habitat, it belongs to a complex and balanced ecosystem where each form of life supports the others. The forest provides rich organic soils, constant humidity and natural regulation of diseases and pests. In return, cacao contributes to this quiet abundance, moving within a dynamic of cooperation rather than domination, of relationship rather than control.

Cacao is a deeply relational plant.

It lives in connection with the trees that offer it shade, with the living soils that nourish its roots, and with the humans who observe it, care for it and harvest it. When cultivated within forest or agroforestry systems, cacao can fully express its nature. Yields are often more modest and fruits sometimes smaller, but the plant is stronger, more stable and more durable over time, faithful to its origin.

Cacao grows slowly. It takes on average two to three years before producing its first fruits, time to root itself, adapt to its environment and weave relationships with the surrounding forest. A cacao tree can then live for several decades, often between twenty-five and forty years, sometimes longer when conditions are just and respectful. Its temporality is not one of urgency, but of patience and continuity.

Monoculture marks a rupture in cacao’s history.

Planting cacao as far as the eye can see, in full sun and on impoverished soils, is a recent adaptation imposed by logics of yield and standardisation. In such conditions, cacao becomes fragile, exposed to disease, pests and climate variability, dependent on constant interventions to survive in an environment that is not its own. The forest, by contrast, does not need to be corrected: it functions through balance, diversity and the intelligence of life.

Cacao grown in forest environments coexists with banana plants, fruit trees, medicinal plants and sometimes food crops. This biodiversity is not decoration; it is a true support structure. It protects soils, regulates water, favours pollination and allows cacao to endure without exhaustion. It also influences the quality of the beans, their aromatic complexity, depth and vitality.

For us at One Love Cacao, this understanding shapes every step of how we walk with cacao.

The cacao we walk with comes from living agroforestry systems, where the forest is preserved, respected and considered an ally. Honouring cacao first means honouring the land that carries it, the ecosystems that make it possible and the human relationships that care for it.

Knowing cacao’s original habitat and the way it interacts with the forest also allows us to sense what it has to offer.

The quality of cacao is not measured only by aroma or texture, but by the depth of the world it comes from.

Its wisdom arises from these living relationships, and its medicine from this slow maturation within the living.

For cacao’s fruit does not nourish only the body: it invites relationship—with oneself, with others, with the space we share.

When we come into contact with cacao born from a respected environment, an entire network of links, rhythms and presences is remembered.

The forest continues to speak through it.

With you 🌿

Sakara & the One Love Cacao team

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