In 2022 Kamkav Farm published a short report on the state of cacao in Cambodia: where it came from, why it only works in the highlands, and where it is heading. Here are the main points. The full report (PDF) is available on request.
During the French colonial period there were two attempts to grow cacao in the region, both in Vietnam: one by Alexandre Yersin, a disciple of Louis Pasteur, at the end of the 19th century, and one by Father Gernot in Ben Tre. Neither took off. In the 1980s, Soviet and Cuban specialists invited by the Vietnamese government tried again, but the project stopped with the collapse of the USSR. We found no record of cacao being introduced in Cambodia itself, though many archives were lost under the Khmer Rouge (1975–1979).
In 2014 Chanthol Chean and Stefan Struik bought 30 hectares in Bu Sra, Mondulkiri, and planted what is probably the first cacao farm in Cambodia's history, with seedlings from Buon Ma Thuot in Vietnam. The severe 2015 drought across Southeast Asia killed every seedling, and they had to start again in mid-2016, this time with their own organic nursery: grafting seedlings, using a natural pesticide made from neem, and fertilising with cow manure from local smallholders.
Indigenous and Khmer cacao farmers in the northeast organised themselves in CFARM, the Cambodia Cacao Farmers Association. CFARM runs training, visits farms, encourages organic and agroforestry practice, negotiates prices for its members, and arranges central fermentation with Kamkav Farm. More about CFARM.
In the 2022/23 season, farmers connected to Kamkav Farm and CFARM produced about 16 tonnes of fermented cacao. That is tiny next to Asia's large producers, but yields are expected to grow as the trees mature. Today's volumes and pricing are on our Beans & Pricing page.
