Plant the tree. We buy the harvest.
Four saplings for a garden, or a thousand for a rai. Either way you start with the same Trinitario trees we make chocolate from, and the same people who visit the farms.
Twelve trees. A family's chocolate for the year.
Trinitario is the natural cross of Criollo and Forastero: the aromatic quality of the first, the hardiness of the second. Ours are 1.5 years old when they leave the nursery and flower at roughly 15 months after planting.
Home chocolate-making is realistic within two to three years. You do not need a factory. Simple chocolate can be made with standard kitchen equipment, and if you want to see it done first, training sessions at our Chiang Mai factory are available by arrangement.
Plus EMS shipping across Thailand, or local delivery in Chiang Mai. Order and arrange delivery on LINE.
Saplings arrive at 1.5 years old. Plant in partial shade, water well.
First flowers. Small pods follow. Nothing to harvest yet, but the tree has decided to stay.
Enough pods to ferment, dry, roast and grind your own chocolate at home.
Full harvest maturity. Relevant mostly to farms, but a home tree keeps giving for decades.
One rai or more? The co-op is the other path.
Around 50 farms are members today. We take on new farms as capacity allows, so ask rather than assume there is a place.
You grow. We set up, replace, and buy.
Volume tiers at 300, 500 and 1,000 or more trees. Pricing per tree is agreed on the call, because it depends on land, water and access.
Membership includes
- Farm setup and irrigation assistance. Layout, spacing, shade, drip lines. We have done it around 50 times.
- Free tree replacement in the first three months. A sapling that fails early is replaced, not argued about.
- Guaranteed purchase of the harvest. At three to four times standard market price, under fair trade principles. This is the reason the co-op exists.
- Visits, testing and training. Soil and pH checked in the field. Fermentation and drying taught on your farm.
What the income really looks like
Dragon King projects 700,000 to 1,000,000 THB per rai per year at full harvest maturity. That maturity takes approximately ten years. Trees flower at 15 months, first meaningful harvests come in years two to three, and yield keeps climbing across the decade.
It is a projection based on the co-op's own farms, not a guarantee, and the early years are planting years, not earning years. Anyone who tells you otherwise about cacao is selling something other than trees.
Preferred farm regions
- Chiang Mai
- Chiang Rai
- Rayong
- Nong Khai
- Udon Thani
- Nong Bua Lamphu
- Kumphawapi
- Chaiyaphum
- Khon Kaen
- Buriram
- Surin
- Ubon Ratchathani
- Buntharik
- Nakhon Phanom
- Sakon Nakhon
- Phetchabun
- Kamphaeng Phet
- Hua Hin
- Prachuap Khiri Khan
- Roi Et
Somewhere else? Ask. Cacao grows in more of Thailand than most people think.
Before you plant.
How long until a cacao sapling produces pods?
Our 1.5-year-old Trinitario saplings flower at roughly 15 months after planting. Enough pods to make chocolate at home is realistic within two to three years. A commercial harvest keeps building for about a decade.
How many trees do I need to make my own chocolate?
Twelve trees is enough to supply a large family with chocolate year-round. Four trees is a realistic start for a garden and will give you enough beans to learn the process.
Can I make chocolate with normal kitchen equipment?
Yes. Simple chocolate can be made with standard kitchen equipment: an oven for roasting, a rolling pin or blender for cracking, a fan for winnowing, and a food processor or small grinder for the mass.
If you would rather see it done first, training sessions at our Chiang Mai factory can be arranged. Ask on LINE.
What does the farm co-op include?
For landowners with one rai or more: farm setup and irrigation assistance, free replacement of any tree that fails in the first three months, and a guaranteed purchase of the harvest at three to four times standard market price under fair trade principles.
How much can a rai of cacao earn?
Dragon King projects 700,000 to 1,000,000 THB per rai per year once trees reach full harvest maturity, which takes approximately ten years. Income starts small after the first flowering at about 15 months and builds over that decade.
This is a projection based on the co-op's own farms, not a guarantee.
Where in Thailand does the co-op accept farms?
The preferred regions are listed above and cover the North, Northeast and East, plus Hua Hin and Prachuap Khiri Khan. If your land is elsewhere, ask. The answer is often yes.