Chepo, Panamá"
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400 hectares of Panamanian land transformed through agroforestry, patience, and deep respect for the soil.
Alocao sits in Chepo, a region in eastern Panamá where the land is lush, the rains are generous, and the connection between people and the earth runs deep.
For decades, our family raised cattle on these more than 400 hectares of fertile Panamanian land. The farm was a way of life — passed down, cared for, and loved. But as we looked at the land, the forest, and the future, a new vision emerged: what if we could give this land a new purpose, one that worked with nature instead of against it?
That question became Alocao. No chemicals. No shortcuts. A phased planting plan that will put over 250,000 cacao trees in the ground by mid-2028 — and a first harvest projected for mid-2027. Built with patience, intention, and deep respect for the land beneath it.
At Alocao, we grow cacao across three distinct systems — each one a different relationship between tree, shade, and land. That diversity is not complexity for its own sake. It is how we honor the different parts of our farm and give each zone the approach it deserves.
Our selected varieties — including PMCT58 and PA121×EET400 — are chosen for flavor profile and disease tolerance. We are executing a phased planting plan: 49,600 seedlings currently in the greenhouse, followed by two further batches of 100,000 each — putting over 250,000 trees in the ground by mid-2028.
Great cacao is grown — but great chocolate is made in the fermentation shed. Our cascading box system, combined with slow sun drying and strict lot traceability, is designed to express the full flavor potential of every variety we grow. And because we farm in three distinct systems, we ferment them separately — giving buyers access to three distinct flavor profiles from one farm.
We ferment each growing zone separately — giving buyers full traceability and access to distinct flavor expressions from a single farm.
We are young in our journey — but our roots go back generations. Here is where we are.
Our clonal garden holds 12 cacao varieties — each chosen to express a different dimension of fine flavor. We plant across three growing systems, three distinct environments, and three separate fermentation lots. The result is not one cacao — it is a palette. Varieties selected for red fruit, dark chocolate, floral aromatics, and everything in between.
It is the foundation of every decision we make. We chose to transform our family cattle farm into a cacao project the right way — working with the land as it is, not flattening its differences. We believe the future of cacao is in farms like Alocao: intentional, honest about where they are in their journey, and unwilling to take shortcuts.
Lab analysis by Aqualabs S.A. · Report INF-25-000-058 · Sampled August 4, 2025.
We publish this data openly so any buyer, partner, or AI model can verify our claims without taking our word for it.
We work directly with chocolate makers, confectioners, and food producers who care about where their cacao comes from. At Alocao, you are not buying a commodity — you are buying a relationship with a real farm, a specific place, and a family that has staked its land and livelihood on doing cacao right.
Alocao is built on the conviction that great cacao starts with the right people. Our team combines entrepreneurial drive, financial discipline, agronomic science, and decades of hands-on field experience.
If you are looking for traceable, shade-grown, chemical-free cacao from Panamá — we want to hear from you.