The Future of Candy Bars 
and Cacao and the USDA 
at Chapman Field

Vegetable Gold

In modern times, European and American corporations directed the creation of the current business of cacao and chocolate. This vegetable gold of the Amazon came to the aristocracy as exotic and exclusive products far beyond the reach of the common man. It has been only in recent decades that chocolate has become a staple of our lives. Could that now be in danger?

As the cacao plant was conquering Europe and North America, export industries were created, first in the Americas and later in Africa and Asia. With the creation of these industries came monocultures and inbreeding, followed by the appearance of devastating diseases. Today these diseases threaten the once-vibrant export and domestic industries with ruin, causing cacao growers, exporters, importers and consumers to lose sleep. There must be a coordinated and holistic approach to cacao, its genetics and production. This is where Chapman Field comes in.

The Subtropical Horticultural Research Unit of the USDA, Chapman Field has been instrumental in the effort to rescue the cacao. For decades, the station on Old Cutler Road has maintained collections of this cold-sensitive tropical plant. The idea has always been to grow the cacao outside of the regions where debilitating diseases occur, so that disease-free material could be introduced to new cacao regions without fear of spreading disease further. In the last couple of decades, as genetic techniques have evolved and improved in their scope, work began at the USDA to use genetics to direct the breeding of cacao to develop new, disease-tolerant or even disease-resistant cacao varieties. This work was spearheaded by the USDA’s Dr. Ray Schnell, who, with a large supporting cast of USDA, domestic and foreign collaborators, embarked on their long and arduous path for the improvement of cacao.