CACAO SERVICES, INC.
HONOLULU, HI

"Dan is a world-class expert in numerous aspects of cacao, from starting farms to fermenting beans and everything in between. Whenever we start working with new farms that need help, we call on Dan, he has a proven track record of making solid process improvement leading to better cacao. The main lesson we've learned is bring Dan in as early as possible to make the biggest impact." "I have owned a 20-acre cacao plantation in Costa Rica and I have been making chocolate for 6 years. Dan recently came to my farm to help me refine my fermentation and drying techniques. As an added bonus he helped me develop management techniques for the plantation, including pruning, fertilizing, grafting and soil analysis. We worked out a plan for preparing and planting a new 7.5-acre site in cacao. He also knows a lot about making chocolate and offered me several helpful hints. I cannot state strongly enough how impressed I was by the breadth and depth of his knowledge. Dan knows a LOT about cacao – all the way from planting and transplanting seedlings to the care of the plantation to the harvesting, fermenting and drying. And most impressive, his experiential, hands-on knowledge is matched by a thorough understanding of the science behind every step. Dan can effectively plan and care for a new plantation with consideration of all the variables involved and at the same time is not afraid to get his hands dirty doing the actual physical work. The time we spent together was invaluable for me, like a 24/7 seminar in all things cacao. He has been in many different countries to research cacao and brings that diverse, real world experience together with his scientific training into one impressive package." "Dan O'Doherty presented a two-day workshop in American Samoa during October 2013 on all aspects of cacao production and processing. His visit was at the behest of the American Samoa Community College and the Department of Agriculture and funded by the USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education Professional Development Program. During his week-long stay, Dan toured several small farms to gage the current state of and the potential for cocoa production. He also interviewed farm owners and agriculture professionals to get their views. Workshop attendance was overwhelming both days. Participants rated his presentation highly, citing his clear explanations and informative slideshow. Dan also conducted hands-on demonstrations on grafting and pruning trees. Most importantly, he explained the importance of post-production fermenting for the profitable marketing of quality chocolate. I have no hesitation in highly recommending Daniel O'Doherty as a knowledgeable workshop presenter who can clearly articulate his message to a widely diverse audience." As a small, independently owned company, we specialize in identifying solutions that are in alignment with each client’s goals and needs, and emphasize sustainable and environmentally sensitive agricultural practices.