A trip to the Green Acres Chocolate Farm is unlike any other chocolate tour. That soon becomes clear as we pull up in the boat to this lush hillside rainforest and botanical wonderland.

We encounter howler monkeys bellowing from the distant treetops, sloths hanging from the mangroves and toucans, fruit crows, and black-chested jays flying between the mature fruiting trees of this protected forest. The tour is a tropical nature experience. Gary takes us meandering through his dazzling botanical refuge. He explains about flora and fauna and our essential connections to all this abundant life that grows around us.

We walk along in the shade of giant fig, almendro, and wild nutmeg trees towering above us. Gary explains how these cacao trees can grow and produce within the shade of the rainforest, thus maintaining the cycling of nutrients through this rich, healthy ecosystem. This cycle benefits both the cacao and the rainforest trees alike. He explains the fascinating process of growing chocolate in the rainforest. He touches on how the insects, squirrels, and monkeys play an important part in the life history of the cacao trees. These trees hold those precious, antioxidant-rich seeds that have made for a worldwide addiction.

We find an array of herpetofauna: golden-headed geckos, Talamanca Rocket frogs, and the stunning green-and-black poison dart frogs. The poison dart frogs gleam a most outrageous shade of emerald green, marked with a smattering of black blotches. Each each individual frog has its own unique “fingerprint.” These primarily terrestrial frogs hop along, searching for ants, oblivious to the excitement they cause. To maintain their toxicity, poison dart frogs feed upon ants for the poison which they excrete from glands when they feel threatened.

Gary leads us back down to the waterfront to a tiny processing shed. With a drying platform and fermentation shed on either side of it. The “chocolate factory” or Casita Cacao, is a small-scale operation which was macgyvered by original owner Dave Cerutti using household tools, PVC piping, and small motors. This set up processes the dried cacao beans into nibs and then grinds and melts it into bars. The bars are sold to groups like us who come visit the farm.
When Gary arrived at Green Acres in 2019, he was already well invested in his non-profit, Planet Rehab. This organization is dedicated to wildlife and environmental conservation and education. Gary has interwoven this chocolate farm experience as an opportunity to impart what he has learned about how we can help care for and support local ecosystems. One initiative, planting endangered native tree species, is a component of a healthy rainforest and a way to work with the indigenous Ngöbe community.

By the end of the half-day tour, we tasted, enjoyed, and appreciated the rainforest and the decadence of Bocas del Toro’s gold: 100% cacao. Oh, and maybe a delicious shot of Green Acres’ famous chocolate rum as we cheer “salad!” to a beautiful day of learning and love for nature and its biodiverse bounty.