{"id":36125,"date":"2025-10-16T08:18:35","date_gmt":"2025-10-16T08:18:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cocoacircle.com\/?p=36125"},"modified":"2026-01-22T15:53:24","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T15:53:24","slug":"guardians-of-cocoa-finca-cacayo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/old.cocoacircle.com\/nl\/guardians-of-cocoa-finca-cacayo\/","title":{"rendered":"What We Learned at Finca Cacayo: Lessons from a Mexican Cocoa Farmer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Deep in Tabasco\u2019s rainforest, humid air hums with life and ancient trees cast cool shade. The perfect conditions for thriving cocoa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Welcome to Finca Cacayo where, alongside the ancient trees, Liliana Bruno Gonzalez and her father, Dr Santiago Bruno Villalobos, consider themselves the guardians of cocoa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Lily, protecting cocoa and the rainforest it belongs to is her life\u2019s passion. But, conditions are under threat. With a changing climate, cocoa farming is only becoming more challenging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While not easy work, Lily\u2019s commitment to sustainable, organic farming is needed more than ever. And she\u2019s ready for it. Because a new generation of consumers gives her hope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cocoa, Not Cattle<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ten years ago, this lush stretch of land was set to be cleared for cattle. But instead of bulldozers, a doctor with a deep love for nature stepped into the scene\u2014 Lily\u2019s father, Dr. Santiago Bruno Villalobos. He bought the land, planted 4,000 cacao trees, and set to work helping the rainforest thrive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a really long journey, because my father didn\u2019t know anything about cacao,\u201d Lily tells us, while walking us through lush canopies. \u201cHe\u2019s a doctor, a traumatologist. But he just loves nature,\u201d she says, explaining he was inspired by his own father, a cacao farmer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe previous owner of the land, he wanted to have cows everywhere. And you know what that implies, to cut everything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cattle farming is the number one cause of deforestation<\/a> in almost every Amazon country. It accounts for around 80 per cent of modern deforestation. As defenders of the forest, it\u2019s something Lily and her father work passionately to prevent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Originally watching from the sidelines as her father worked the land, Lily wasn\u2019t always part of the plan. She started in fashion management. But eventually, the pull of the farm \u2014 of the forest \u2014 got to her. \u201cI worked for a very important brand in London, but I didn\u2019t feel happy,\u201d Lily tells us. \u201cHere I feel happy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Trees: The True Guardians<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At Finca Cacayo, cocoa doesn\u2019t grow in tidy, uniform rows. It grows in harmony with ancient shade trees \u2014 jackfruit, sapote, mango, orange \u2014 that Lily calls \u201cthe guardians of this place.\u201d These trees shelter the cocoa, cool the soil, nourish the land, and protect the creatures who call the forest home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is agroforestry at its best \u2014 a farm that looks like a forest, works like a forest, and gives back like a forest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Climate Change: The New Challenge<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But even the guardians are struggling. The rains no longer come when they should. The harvest that used to follow the rhythm of the seasons now arrives late, or not at all. The flowers dry out before they can bear fruit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are supposed to be two main harvests,\u201d Lily tells us. \u201cThe [main one] is supposed to be November to February. But it\u2019s different each year now, everything has changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHere in Tabasco, it\u2019s [now] like this, you have a lot of water, or you don\u2019t have any water.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the animals? They suffer too, says Lily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe problem with the monkeys right now\u2026 it\u2019s too hot for them and they\u2019re dying. It\u2019s a big problem here in Tabasco.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet Lily refuses to give up. Instead, she\u2019s doubling down on her commitment to biodiversity and organic farming. No chemicals. No shortcuts. Just care, patience, and a belief that nature, if given a chance, will find its balance<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A New Generation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Lily\u2019s story isn\u2019t just about cocoa. It\u2019s about choosing resilience in the face of uncertainty. About believing that small farms, working with nature and not against it, can protect what\u2019s left of the world\u2019s rainforests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And it\u2019s about faith in her generation. \u201cI really think that now our generation is creating something different, we are more conscious about the weather and the climate,\u201d Lily tells us, explaining she\u2019s hopeful for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m taking care of this place,\u201d she says, \u201cand I know that we are going to make a change in the future with our example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe can show people there are many ways to do it [farm] differently, but correctly.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At The Cocoa Circle, we left Finca Cacayo inspired \u2014 by the land, by the trees, and by the guardians who care for them. This is what the future of cocoa can look like: diverse, sustainable, and full of heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rooted in Stories. Growing with Purpose.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watch Lily\u2019s story \u2014 live now in Episode 7.
<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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