SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -While cacao is traditionally grown in tropical regions near the equator, one Santa Barbara chocolatier is proving it may also have a future in California.
Michael Orlando, founder of Twenty-Four Blackbirds, says what started as a personal experiment 15 years ago has evolved into a small cacao farm in Santa Barbara County.
“This is essentially the cacao farming project that I started. I started it kind of just to see if I can grow cacao in Santa Barbara about 15 years ago, and through trial and error… it’s turned into this actual farm,” Orlando said.
The farm currently has 53 cacao trees, with another 200 seedlings waiting to be planted.
“Cacao is a fully tropical plant… only grows plus or minus 20 degrees at the equator. And within California, this is the only cacao farming project that I know of,” Orlando said.
Research into growing cacao outside its natural climate is also happening at University of California, Davis, where specialized greenhouses are being used to study cacao disease resistance, climate adaptability, and production methods.
Graduate students Nyah Mallak and Ivan Martinez are examining how cacao behaves in controlled environments while also comparing smallholder and large-scale farming practices.
The researchers have also traveled to Colombia to study cacao cultivation in one of the crop’s native regions.
“In Colombia, you kind of just throw seeds in the backyard and forget about it until it’s giving you pods. But here, you have to build the whole structure and control everything,” Martinez said.
Researchers say California-grown cacao could develop a flavor profile unlike anywhere else in the world.
"One cool thing about growing cacao outside its native environment is you get a totally unique flavor profile because the beans are absorbing different nutrients and minerals,” Mallak said.
Back in Santa Barbara, Orlando says years of experimenting with winter protection and greenhouse conditions are finally paying off.
Because natural cacao pollinators are not common in California, Orlando says he hand-pollinates the flowers himself by transferring pollen between blossoms using small tools and brushes to help the trees produce fruit.
"Once all of the trees are flowering, we’ll ideally be pollinating all of them and getting hundreds of fruits,” Orlando said.
His long-term goal is to create a chocolate bar made entirely from Santa Barbara-grown cacao.
“Eventually we will be fermenting the beans and making a Santa Barbara-origin chocolate bar,” Orlando said.
Orlando is also branching into another tropical crop rarely grown in California.
"We’re also starting the first ever vanilla farm in Santa Barbara, outside of Hawaii,” Orlando said.
He says growing cacao and vanilla locally could reduce shipping impacts while allowing for more controlled and sustainable production.
The project is also seeking volunteers interested in learning the full chocolate-making process from tree to bar.
“We’re looking for volunteers… people who want to learn the cacao growing process and chocolate making from tree to bar,” Orlando said.
For now, Orlando says the project is still growing, planting the seeds for what could become California-made chocolate.
For more information on the cacao project and to visit his in house greenhouse, you can visit their official website.
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