Cocoa Tree (Theobroma cacao 'Trinitario')

Chocolate’s delicious taste is enjoyed by young and old alike. You can have fun growing your own cocoa seeds from our yellow-podded cacao tree. Our seedling plants will start bearing fruit at 3-4 years old once they have reached 5-6’ tall. The pink and white flowers grow straight out of the tree trunk and main branches, followed by the cocoa pods. It takes 5 months for the fruit to develop. The cylindrical cocoa pods change from green to yellow when fully ripe. Each pod contains 20-40 seeds. The cacao seeds must ferment for about one week and then are dried to create the unique chocolate flavor. Cocoa plants prefer some shade, especially when the trees are young. The plant may experience edge burn during the winter months. The botanical name Theobroma cacao literally means “Food of the Gods."