Cocoa Cure Center, Israel

Takin' care of chocolate, every day! Not just World Chocolate Day!

יום השוקולד העולמי שמח! #worldchocolateday Cocoa Cure Center, Israel

We've been cracking the code for healthier cocoa trees. This time we've simplified how farmers can measure nitrogen and optimize yields. Check out our open access publication in J. Amer. Hort. Sci.

Evaluation of Optical Chlorophyll Meters as Proxy for Nitrogen in Theobroma cacao L. Leaf nitrogen (N) and leaf chlorophyll concentrations are key indicators of a plant’s nutritional status. For many crops, readings from simple optical methods for estimating chlorophyll correlate well with laboratory-based chlorophyll extraction methods. Yet, in cacao (Theobroma cacao L.), an impo...

Last week I was honored to be a panelist on a Diplomatic Salon organized by the Center for Jewish Impact and Embassy of Ecuador in Israel. It was all about… What else? - CHOCOLATE!

It was a real treat to meet the Ambassador of Ecuador in Israel, the Honorable María Cristina Cevallos Calero, and her counterpart, the Ambassador of Israel in Ecuador, the Honorable Tzach Sarid, as well as members of other diplomatic missions from cacao-producing countries. We shared our vision for stable, climate-resilient, pest-resistant cacao with enhanced economic benefits for farmers and improved health benefits for chocolate lovers. I look forward to working together to make this vision a reality!

Our panel, expertly moderated by Valeria Kogan, Founder and CEO of Fermata, included myself, Michal Beressi Golomb, CEO of Celleste Bio, and Mishel Kammoun, of Kamm Chocolates, who joined us from Ecuador. Celleste Bio is creating innovations in lab-synthesized chocolate and other cocoa products, while Mishel Kammoun makes incredible chocolates from trees more than 100 years old!

The chocolate tasting that followed – with scrumptious chocolates from Ecuador and Israel – was the sort that legends are made from!

A huge thanks to Robert Singer and Karen Gritz from the Center for Jewish Impact for organizing the event and inviting me to be a part of it.

Remember the "Superhero" cocoa seedlings that survived months of drought and a cold winter following the invasion by Hamas? The recovery of the survivors has been remarkable. On-time maturation, flowering and natural fruit set. In March we harvested the first pods. Drought and cold-resistant cacao rootstock of interest to anyone out there?

growers beware: nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium are non-negotiable. Low nitrogen? Expect a doubling of wait time for seedlings to transition from juvenility to maturity. Take a look at our latest Open Access article, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15538362.2025.2482685

Welcome to the world Superbaby! First pod of the Superhero cacao seedlings that survived extreme drought and cold following the October 7 2023 Hamas attack. A sign of renewal for the New Year!

The Cocoa Cure Center is pleased and proud to announce their first publication, in Scientia Horticulturae (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304423824007453). We found that differences in NPK supply significantly affect time to first flower, flowering intensity, and natural fruit set, with low N having the most deleterious effect. Under sustained low N and low K, trees also struggle to reestablish reproductive competency after an acute stress. We discuss a number of potential ramifications of these observed effects on cacao yield.
The article is open access.

https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/high-hopes-israel-super-hero-cocoa-that-survived-frontline-conditions-2024-08-12/

High hopes in Israel for 'super hero' cocoa that survived frontline conditions Farming can develop in mysterious ways. Israeli researchers learned about that when the war in Gaza seemed to have all but wrecked their work on a more resilient strain of the cocoa plant that could help alleviate a global shortage of the beans.

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger: "Superhero" cocoa seedlings precociously transitioned to maturity!

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20240327-israel-s-war-budget-leaves-top-scientists-in-limbo

Israel's war budget leaves top scientists in limbo Israeli scientist Ellen Graber has spent years researching ways to save chocolate crops from climate change. But with the government slashing spending to fund the war in Gaza, her project is one of hundreds…

After surviving October 7, Israeli cocoa plants could help stave off world shortage

After surviving October 7, Israeli cocoa plants could help stave off world shortage Ellen Graber's 'superhero' seedlings, forced to fend for themselves after Hamas attack, survived 3.5 months without water or fertilizer, suggesting high resilience