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BFREE Fundraiser in Washington, D.C.

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BFREE volunteer, Lisa Ramsden shares informational materials with guests as they arrive. More photos from the event can be found on Flickr here!

On February 4th, BFREE hosted a social and fundraiser at Levine Music in Washington D.C. The event was attended by over 120 supporters interested in hearing about chocolate’s connection to rainforest conservation. 

The event marked the launch of a new campaign to raise capital for the Cacao Discovery Center, The CDC will be a centralized multipurpose educational facility dedicated to enhancing the learning environment at BFREE and promoting cacao-based agroforestry as a strategy to conserve and restore tropical rainforests in Belize. Once complete, the solar-powered facility will serve the many types of visitors that come to BFREE including students, researchers, farmers, conservation practitioners, and the public in general.

During the event, guests indulged their taste buds with BFREE’s finest hand-crafted chocolate made in Florida from cacao beans grown at the field station in Belize. The chocolate was presented in tasting squares, as whole roasted beans, as nibs and as a fondue from a chocolate fountain. Fresh fruit, as well as a variety of hors d’oeuvres were offered to guests. In classic, Willy Wonka style, gold-foil wrapped chocolate bars and hearts were available for Valentine’s gifts. The nights’ specialty cocktail; a ‘Belizean Rum Old Fashioned’ was created with homemade infused bitters using BFREE cacao nibs and Belizean One Barrel Rum.

A silent auction included food and handcrafted items all originating in Belize and including Marie Sharp’s hot sauces, beautiful wildlife and forest paintings, Maya hand-crafts, lovely hardwood bowls, and, of course, a variety of cacao products like nibs, cocoa powder, and soap.

Executive Director, Jacob Marlin shared some of BFREE’s history and described the growth of both the organization and field station over the past 22 years. He highlighted stories of the many projects BFREE has implemented, and focused on how growing cacao (chocolate) trees under the rainforest canopy is an important strategy for restoring and conserving tropical rainforests in Belize.

If you would like to support BFREE in our efforts to build the Cacao Discovery Center please consider making a a donation here: Donate now to support the Cacao Discover Center! 

If you have any questions, please contact us by email at: contact@bfreebz.org

More Photos of the event in Washington, D.C. are on Flickr here! 

Special thanks to Levine Music for providing the perfect event location and excellent staff support.  

Also, thanks to the artisans who created wonderful works of art just for this occasion: Grayson Sierra, Greta Leslie, Avelina Choc and Mr. Tyrone. We are grateful to event volunteers who donated their time and expertise: Kelly Sanville, Katie Bates, Lisa Ramsden, Shaman Marlin, Sofia Marlin, Hyla Marlin, Tierra Maclean, B. Trewin and Donato Alvarez.

Finally, thanks to David and Jackie Marlin without whom this event could not have been possible.

The Belize Cacao Agroforestry Handbook

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500 copies of the handbook are now available in Belize

500 copies were produced in the first handbook printing.

The Belize Cacao Agroforestry Handbook is now complete and available in Belize. A joint effort between BFREE and UNC Wilmington’s Department of Environmental Studies with significant input from experts at the Cocoa Research Centre at the University of the West Indies, the handbook describes the benefits of sustainable agriculture for humans, wildlife and forests.

The 70-page manual is filled with illustrations and simple descriptions intended to guide farmers through the basics of land preparation, nursery management, planting, maintenance, harvest and post-harvest. The ‘Resource,’ section of the Handbook includes checklists, management schedules, and cultivation records, to help farmers track their farm activity and keep on schedule throughout the year. The hope is that this new handbook will provide a comprehensive resource for cacao farmers whether just starting out or experienced, and help promote organic cacao-based agroforestry practices as an alternative to traditional agriculture that often required clearing of rainforest and intensive agro-chemical inputs.

Five hundred handbooks were produced during the initial printing and will be made available to farmers in the Toledo District through farmer cooperatives, during meetings and workshops, in farm supply stores in Punta Gorda, at this year’s Chocolate Festival of Belize, and at the BFREE field station. In late January, the first books were distributed to BFREE staff who will share them with their village leaders and community members.

Partial funding for the Belize Cacao-based Agroforestry and Restoration Project (BCARP) is provided by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, on behalf of the Nyanza Natural Resource Damage Trustee Council – comprised of the Service, Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration.

BFREE staff with Belize Cacao Agroforestry Handbook

BFREE Staff members pose with their copies of The Belize Cacao Agroforestry Handbook in January 2017 at the BFREE Field Station.      Standing from Left to Right – Carmelita Shol|San Felipe Village; Patron Coc|San Marcos Village; Apolonio Pop| Santa Cruz; Jacob Marlin| BFREE; Pedro Rash| Indian Creek.    Seated from Left to Right – Thomas Pop|Golden Stream Village, Thomas Chub|Indian Creek; Elmer Tzalam|Golden Stream Village; and Cesario Pop|Silver Creek.

 

Chocolate and Beer Tasting with BFREE

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Executive Director, Jacob Marlin, described cacao-based agroforestry and the chocolate-making process to Gainesville community members.

Over 100 supporters joined BFREE on April 21st to help us put the FUN in fundraiser. BFREE hosted “BIRDS, CHOCOLATE & FORESTS: CONSERVATION EFFORTS CONNECTING THE US TO CENTRAL AMERICA,”  in Gainesville, Florida, the home of the US for BFREE office. The event took place at First Magnitude, one of the most loved craft breweries in the area; they have a passion we can all get on board with, “great beer and great community.”  In addition, local food truck, Cilantro Tacos joined the effort by donating ten percent of their nights sales to BFREE. A silent auction with bid items ranging from bagels to acupuncture was supported by many incredible donors and was a highlight of the event.

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BFREE volunteers, Wendy Wilber and Juliana Carrillo, greeted event supporters.

The BFREE chocolate offered for tasting was made with 100% organic, shade-grown, fine flavor, single-origin beans. The beans are grown in cacao agroforest at BFREE where, once harvested, they are fermented and dried in the sun. The beans for the fundraiser were brought to Gainesville where they were handcrafted in small batches.  

While chocolate, beer and tacos can make any event successful, the true spotlight was the message which fueled invaluable conversations about the connection between birds, chocolate, and forests. Deforestation threatens the nearly 600 species of birds that call Belize home and cacao-based agroforestry can provide an organic, wildlife- and environmentally-friendly alternative to other types of agriculture. Therefore, BFREE is working to convert degraded land to cacao-based agroforestry for the purpose of expanding migratory bird habitat and protecting Belize’s rich, biodiverse rainforest.

Belize is home to one of the last undisturbed rainforests left in the world and the largest continuous tract of tropical rainforests north of the Amazon. We believe that the key lies in the connection between birds, chocolate, and forests.

If you are interested in learning more about the work that BFREE is doing to promote cacao- based agroforestry or would like to make chocolate from bean to bar please contact us at contact@bfreebz.org.

BFREE would like to extend a special thanks to all of the silent auction donors for ensuring the event was a hit: Adventure Outpost, Alvaro Toledo, Bagel Bakery, Kirk and Gloria McDonald, Lauren Schaer,  Leonardo’s Pizza of Millhopper, Liz Getman, Michael and Janice Carrillo, Sami Gabb, Theresa Rizzo, Wendy Wilber, Wild Birds Unlimited of Gainesville. Another big thank you to Cilantro Tacos and First Magnitude Brewery for supporting both our mission and event.