I don’t know of any experiments into GM cacao as yet, there is though a lot of work being done on finding and recovering sub-varieties – looking for improved flavour, yield and disease resistance.

All cacao is cross-bred and hybrid. DNA research has shown that there is no genetically pure Criollo left – we have lost the original cacao of the Aztecs and Maya, it has all been crossed to some extent with the Forestero the Spanish found in the Lower Amazon. Research stations in places like Trinidad and companies like Domori are working to cultivate and grow purer strains of Criollo – Puertomar and Puertofino are made from the early results of this and the new Domori/Hacienda San Jose products are made from cacao trees which are over 90% pure Criollo (from DNA research).

So if you like there is a lot of work going on to undo the hybridisation that has happened in the last 500 years, and for me the most interesting aspect of all the interest in fine chocolate is this ‘recovery’ work.

Martin Christy
Editor
http://www.seventypercent.com

We’ve been talking to Domori a lot about this, and will have more info when we write up our last visit to them. The best book I think is the Maricel E. Presilla one – see http://www.seventypercent.com/pod/books.asp.

The best web site? Don’t you know it yet? [:D]

If you find any other good sources let me know. I am trying to gather a lot more information on this, but the article on New Chocolate http://www.seventypercent.com/pod/feature3.asp is a start. I hope to be talking to some researchers about this soon as well.

Martin Christy
Editor
http://www.seventypercent.com

I havn’t paid so many thoughts to the GM side of the issue, but the fair trade issue is important to me. much of the cocoa in the world is produced by workers under really bad conditions. By buing organic/fair trade chocolates, I hope to take more social responsibility. And, the chocolates tastes better too, because it hasn’t been forced up in a hurry.

How do the big names i super-choc stand with respect to ecology and fair trade – e.g. Valrhona, Marcolini, Amedei, Domori, Bonnat etc?

***
My name is Polarbear and I am a chocoholic…

The main thing is most of their chocolate does not come from West Africa (Ivory Coast in particular), where most of the less attractive practices are going on.

A lot of flavor cacao could be organic – it is grown in a natural way and the growers anyway can’t afford chemicals, just the certification is not so easy or cheap.

Conditions in Venezuela, where a good deal of Criollo comes from are ‘better’, if not ideal.

Martin Christy
Editor
http://www.seventypercent.com

Actually the question of GMOs is also a question of responsibility. From a GMO knowing friend I’ve been told that one of the “negative” aspects is that there might be strong economic incentives towards developing countries to transform their food production according to GM interests. Fair trade is obviously one element that may prevent this.