Belize is home to some of the highest quality cacao farms in the world: meet some of the farmers and activists ensuring fair trade practices.
Cacao tree in Belize. Renee Johnson. CC BY-SA 2.0.
Many scholars believe Belize is the first place where cacao was cultivated. Cacao was very important to the Mayans who lived in Belize in ancient times, and artifacts have even been found in modern-day Belize to prove cacao’s historical significance. A “chocolate pot” used by the Mayans believed to be 2600 years old was found in Belize—a chocolate pot being a pot to serve a chocolate drink. Traces of cacao were found on the pot, and this drink is still common among some cacao farmers in Belize today.
In the 1980s, Hershey had a deal with the Belizean government to partner with cacao farmers to produce organic chocolate using the most up to date methods. Unfortunately, when the global price of chocolate dropped, Hershey abandoned the deal, as they were able to produce chocolate at a lower price elsewhere in the world. Belize’s chocolate production and exports essentially stopped for about ten years, leaving many farmers in dire financial situations.
Green & Blacks, an organic chocolate company founded in 1991, eventually partnered with the Toledo Cacao Growers Association to source organic, high quality and most importantly, ethically sourced cacao from the Toledo district in Belize. Since this partnership, the cacao industry in Belize has slowly been strengthened. Below are two examples of family-owned farms in Belize, as well as ways to support Belizean and Mayan chocolate companies.
Justino Peck is a cacao farmer from San Jose, Belize, and a chairman of the Toledo Cacao Growers Association. His farm is in partnership with Green & Blacks, and they produce a chocolate bar called Maya Gold which is marketed in Europe. Maya Gold chocolate was the first chocolate in the UK to be verified as Fair Trade in 1994. After being devastated by the decrease in price of cacao, Peck’s family was able to renovate their home and send one of their children to college after this deal. Peck also became a leader in his community: he lobbied the Belizean government on issues such as land rights and fair pay and working conditions for cacao farmers. Peck’s farm reflects the importance of being a mindful consumer: knowing where your goods come from can have a real, tangible impact on peoples’ lives.
Cacao from Belize during the drying process. Renee Johnson. CC BY-SA 2.0.
Abelina Cho is the owner of a small chocolate company in San Felipe called Ixcacao. Cho is known as “Chocolate Queen”, and her farm is currently the only family-owned, Mayan chocolate producer today in Belize. Abelina Cho and her husband, Juan, are passionate about cacao’s cultural importance to Mayan people, and they produce dark chocolate the traditional Mayan way, without a recipe. Cho is shifting the credit for fine, high-quality chocolate back to the indigenous farmers who created these practices. Post colonization, high-quality chocolate was known as a European export, when really, it is Mayan farmers who created the practices used to cultivate cacao. Crediting the original creators of the chocolate we all enjoy, and paying them for their labor, is of the utmost importance.
TO GET INVOLVED
The best way to support small, Belizean-owned cacao producers is to be mindful of where you buy your chocolate from. Try to steer away from large corporations like Hershey, which are known to abuse and underpay their workers. Maya Gold chocolate—produced by both Justino Peck’s and Abelina Cho’s farms—is available throughout Europe and on many websites that ship to the U.S. and worldwide. Cho’s chocolate and other products are also available directly from the Ixcacao Mayan Belizean Chocolate website. If you ever find yourself traveling to Belize near the San Felipe area, Ixcacao farm also offers tours and chocolate making classes, where not only can you witness firsthand the historically rich and complex method of Mayan cacao production, but Abelina also cooks travelers a home cooked meal. Essentially, being a thoughtful consumer is the best way to get involved on this issue.
Calliana Leff
Calliana is currently an undergraduate student at Boston University majoring in English and minoring in psychology. She is passionate about sustainability and traveling in an ethical and respectful way. She hopes to continue her writing career and see more of the world after she graduates.