Who we are
Hello, thanks for looking 😊 we are a homestead within a larger organic cacao and fruit tree farm, nestled in the Caribbean forest. We are chocolate makers who run a homestead producing as much of our food as possible. We raise chickens and ducks and we have 3 dogs and 2 cats. We foster pups for the local dog rescue so anyone interested must love dogs. We teach classes on permaculture gardening, homesteading, medicinal plants, fermentation, soap making and chocolate! We work with apprentices who come to learn about plants or cacao. There are typically 4 people on the farm.
“You can solve all the world’s problems in a garden.”
― Geoff Lawton
— Happy Customer
What to expect
An average day begins at 7am with feeding and watering the birds, dogs and people, there is often a class at 10am which means helping get the kitchen ready and then receiving guests. Working in the garden means harvesting and weeding and observing.
We’re a mature fruit and cacao farm with 3 full time workers, with an established fruit tree nursery and homestead. Wwoofers would be in the homestead with occasional cacao harvests in the greater farm. We grow a good variety of food crops and medicinal plants, days are varied with working with plants and preparing them into food or medicine.
It may be that we’ve got a building project happening with wood from the farm, bamboo or cob.
It may be time to harvest the amazing compost from our composting toilets.
It’s always time to love on the dogs.
We have a decent library of books on mushrooms, natural history, plants, fermentation, cacao, permaculture certainly more than anyone could read and absorb in a month. We’re close to a beach and the forest is always present.
There are 4 cute living spaces, all wood or bamboo, 2 composting toilets, a rain shower and a fully functioning kitchen with ‘regular’ toilet and shower. We eat lunch together, breakfasts are solo or together depending on who’s around. Dinner is often eaten together. The far assistant has freetime, typically, in the afternoons and evenings though we do insist that people are overnight on the farm. and you need to be here to do that. so not everyone eats dinner at home. We are absolutely plant based with no dairy. There is a second fridge for those who need cheese 😊
The main responsibility is presence and care of the animals, the folk who have the best experience here are the folk who come to learn and experience tropical farm life. Farm life is full and ongoing, we don’t operate by hours, but by tasks. Ideally you are fully invested in learning and being in an incredible environment as part of the farm.
We encourage developing fermentation and cooking skills! Also lots of opportunity for forest bathing and meditation. We are close by a small town with restaurants, yoga, surf etc. We’re about 400 meters from the beach.
To apply for the farm exchange please fill in this form and someone from our team will connect with you. FARM EXCHANGE APPLICATION.
Talamanca Chocolate 