The farm is a growing agroforest that we’ve been planting by hand since 2016. Cacao sits at the center of it, but it’s surrounded by more than 150 different species of tropical fruit trees, flowering trees, herbs, and understory plants.
Some of these trees started fruiting in 2021. A lot of them are still young and finding their place. The idea has always been to create a layered system that works like a real forest; taller trees providing shade and wind protection for the cacao, while other plants contribute mulch, nitrogen, habitat for insects, or just fill in the spaces between.
We chose and placed most of the support trees with cacao in mind. Cacao likes partial shade and a more humid microclimate, so the canopy and mid-story plants help create those conditions. Everything is planted for more than just its own fruit. Some trees feed the soil, some block the wind, some attract pollinators, and some just make the whole place feel more alive.
This is our version of Hawaiʻi agroforestry and permaculture; slow, hands-on, and always changing as the plants grow into each other.
Abiu
Abiurana
Acai
Achachairu
Ackee
Aguaí Guaçú
Almirajo
Atom (Dacryodes macrophylla)
Araza
Avocado (seedling)
Bakul (Mimusops elengi)
Bamboo – Sacred Bali (Schizostachyum brachycladum)
Banana – Apple
Banana – Dwarf Cavendish
Banana – Namwah
Blackberry Jam Fruit
Borojo
Breadfruit – Maafala
Breadfruit – Hawaiian
Breadfruit – Puaa
Breadnut
Buddha’s Hand Citron
Bunya bunya
Cacao – Trinitario
Cacao – Criollo
Calamansi
Candle Tree, Guajilote
Cashew
Chempedak
Cherimoya
Cherry (Korean Ornamental)
Chico Sapote, Sapodilla
Clove
Cinnamon
Coconut – Dwarf Malaysian Red
Coconut – Dwarf Malaysian Yellow
Coconut – Dwarf Samoan
Coffee – Guatamalan
Chuo Ume
Cupuassu
Curry Leaf
Cut Nut
Duguetia peruviana
Duranta – Golden Dewdrop
Durian
Eggfruit
Envira Caju
Fig – Brown Turkey
Finger Lime
Grumichama
Gliricidia
Golden Trumpet Tree
Gourka
Governor’s Plum
Green Tea
Grumichama
Guaquica
Guayabilla
Hala
Hapuu
Haruka, Citrus
Hau
Ice Cream Bean
Jaboticaba
Jacaranda
Jackfruit
Junglesop
Kafir Lime
Koaia
Kou
Kumquat – Meiwa
Kukui Nut
Kwai Muk
Langsat
Lemon Drop Mangosteen
Loquat
Madruno
Mahogany
Mango – Kasturi
Mango – Rubropetela
Mangosteen
Mamey Sapote
Mamey Apple
Marang
Meyers Lemon
Milo
Miracle Berry
Mocambo
Monkeypod (Samanea saman)
Moringa
Mountain Apple
Mulberry
Naval Orange
Ndea
Neem
Neneleau
Nihoa Palm
Olive (dwarf)
Olive – Arbequina
Ooray
Panama Berry
Papaya (Kamiya)
Peach Palm
Peanut Butter Fruit
Pedalai
Pomegranate
Pride of Burma (Amherstia nobilis)
Pheasant Wood
Puakenikeni
Queen Palm
Queensland Maple
Rainbow Shower Tree
Rollinia
Rosita de Cacao
Salak
Sausage Tree
Seashore Mangosteen
Sesbania sesban
Shikwaasaa
Soursop
Surinam Cherry
Spanish Tamarind
Tachibana, citrus
Tahitian Lime
Tamarind
Tangelo
Wiliwili
White Sapote
Watermelon White Jaboticaba
Yerba Mate (Ilex paraguariensis)
Ylang Ylang
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Part of the HAA Knowledge Series — hands-on learning in regenerative tropical agriculture, rooted in Hawaiʻi.
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