Category: Hawaiian Chocolate

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Now Hiring | Join our Farm Family!

Job Description: Part Time Organic Weed Control Manager & Regenerative Agriculture Project Assistant

Pay is $25 per hour for average fo 16 hrs each week.

Job Description

Ocean Grace Farms is looking for our new team member to Manage Organic Weed Control on our 3.3 Acre Farm and Assist with other Farm Operations.

Tasks include: Weed Whipping, Hand Pulling Weeds, Mulch Moving and Assisting with Regenerative Agriculture Practices: Planting ground cover crops, vegetables and assisting with maintenance of all crops (bananas, lemongrass, citrus, white pineapple, cassava, cacao and more).

Possible future growth in the new hire position would be to join our chocolate making operation: cacao harvesting and processing of chocolate. This includes fermentation and drying.

Watch a video below about our North Kona Cacao Farm Here and meet the farm family and team…

Ocean Grace Farms is located on the flanks of Hualalai Volcano at an altitude of 1800 feet on the leeward side of the Big Island of Hawaii. With special varieties selected by Dan O’Doherty we planted our very first trees in the winter of 2017. In the spring of 2018, with the help of Logan Silsley we transitioned from conventional farming to Korean Natural Farming; a system that completely embraces regenerative agriculture. We are halfway through our path to be certified organic, and so much more.

We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to Gini Choobua for our first ferments and Honoka’a Chocolate Company for our very first batch of chocolate. They all have been extremely generous supporting our dream to translate the offerings of our land into a beautiful experience. We are incredibly proud of the result and are excited to make our very first offering for the chocolate and cacao loving community early 2021.

It is our intention that our chocolate offering be a reflection of the sacred land here on Big Island where we are pouring our love, affection and caring into every single day.

HOW TO APPLY:

Answer the following questions in an email and email to Amanda Hurtado, our Farm Manager at bigislandtlc@yahoo.com

  1. What is your experience with Weed Whipping? How long?
  2. What s your experience with Organic Weed Control and Regenerative Agriculture?
  3. Why are you interested in joining our Farm Team specifically?

Requirements:

  • A US CITIZEN with documents to fill out I-9 Form.
  • Has own transportation
  • Experience operating weed whipper and other farm machines a bonus.
  • Able to lift 50 pounds
  • OGF is a Drug free and Alcohol free work environment
  • Experience with or Interest in learning Regenerative Agriculture and Korean Natural Farming / Natural Farming Practices

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Raw Cacao- Another Hawaiian Superfood!

‘Ulu (Breadfruit), Poi, Noni, Spirulina and ‘Olena are local favorites that are known as Hawaiian Superfoods. Cacao farming in Hawaii and the demand for Hawaiian Chocolate is on the rise! In 2017, Manoa Chocolate & CTHAR put Hawaiian Chocolate on the map- as one of the best in the world by placing at the International Chocolate Awards (read more). We are happy to announce that Raw Cacao is an unexpected Hawaiian Superfood!

Ocean Grace Farms is excited to share the outstanding health and medicinal benefits of Raw Hawaiian Cacao. While deciding which products to make from our Hawaii Island Grown Estate Cacao Trees we simply must include one that retains the superfood qualities of raw cacao.

Benefits of Raw Hawaiian Cacao

Eating Cacao nibs help maintain muscle and nerve function, lose weight and keep you regular, prevent anemia, reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke, treat diarrhea, and enhance mood. (Dr. Axe)

Cacao is the highest plant-based source of iron known to man, at a whopping 7.3mg per 100g.  This compares to beef and lamb at 2.5mg, and spinach at 3.6mg.  Note the iron in cacao is non-heme (as is all plant-based iron), so to get the maximum benefits you’ll want to combine it with some vitamin C.  (Be Good Organics)

Raw cacao powder contains more than 300 different chemical compounds and nearly four times the antioxidant power of your average dark chocolate – more than 20 times than that of blueberries. Protein, calcium, carotene, thiamin, riboflavin, magnesium, sulfur, flavonoids, antioxidants, and essential fatty acids are also present. The precise blend of all these elements combined serve to kick in naturally occurring phytochemicals that have incredible benefits throughout the body, such as lowered LDL cholesterol, improved heart function, and reduced cancer risk. (Mercola)

1 Cup of Cacao Nutritional Info Chart

Cacao vs Cocoa

Cacao and cocoa are essentially the same thing. The biggest difference is cocoa is heated at a higher temperature during process, thus loses some of the beneficial nutrition cacao contains. Cocoa also typically has more additives, while cacao is typically raw and a bit healthier. (Source: Dr. Axe)

References & Sources