Hello from Beth, Chad, and Noodle!
Welcome to the blogging platform of Balam’ke Farms!
We intend to use this space to take you on our journey of transforming an abandoned farm into a thriving food forest. We will share exciting farm stories and photos to give you insights into a Belizean farmer’s day-to-day life.
Our Story
To begin with, we still have some distance to cover before we can call ourselves farmers. We are still learning the art of sustainable farming and agriculture. Our Mayan neighbors are kind enough to teach us the basics as well as the tricks of the trade. I think this is what makes our journey so unique and sensational.
My husband and I had never in our wildest dreams thought that we would own a farm one day! We felt a calling and ended up buying a 640-acre farm in the Southern region of Belize in the village of San Felipe.
So, why did we decide to call it ‘Balam’ke’?
The word may have many different meanings, but we had not one but three good reasons to choose this name for our farm. For starters, the ground of the property has a special soil material that the Mayans call Balam’ke. The term also stands for Jaguar, and we have a rare jaguar with black spots living on our farm.
There is also a traditional Mayan story about an underworld warrior who fought Xibalba and successfully saved corn, beans, and cacao that saved his people and community.
Our Vision
At Balam’ke Farms, our vision is to create a 100% organic garden based on the principles of sustainable agriculture with towering Criollo cacao trees leaning over a variety of exotic fruit trees. One of our core focuses is to raise a lot of bees in our forest garden.
Being strong advocates of farm-to-table sustainability, our idea is to produce our own products on Balam’ke Farms and make farm-fresh items accessible for everyone. We have planted approximately 42,000 Criollo cacao trees in our forest garden. We offer a wide range of products, including cocoa beans, honey, and all-natural soaps, among others.
Our aim is to bring the highest quality Fine Flavor Cacao products to you to ensure your chocolate creations stand out from the crowd.
What Can You Find at Balam’ke Farms?
We take pride in delivering the freshest and most organic, farm-made cocoa beans, chocolate bars, honey, cohune oil, and coconut oil, along with farm-made soap bars, and cosmetic items. We also sell fermented and dried fine-flavor cacao products to chocolatiers across the UK, Europe, US, Middle East, and Asia.
Meet Our Team
Juan Cho
Juan Cho is our neighbor, farm manager, and a dear friend. He manages our farm and has put together a fantastic team. Juan, along with his wife Abelina and two children, runs his own chocolate company called Ixcacao Mayan Belizean Chocolate. The family is a farm-to-bean processor of chocolate products.
Juan and his family provide amazing farm tours that typically include a demonstration of how to make chocolate. Not to forget, Abelina prepares the best lunches ever!
Mr. Victor
Mr. Victor is Juan’s right hand at the farm. He possesses a wealth of farming knowledge to share along with great stories. He helped us choose the name of the farm. His farm is down the road from ours and his wife makes and sells amazing fried plantain chips!
Henry Cho
Henry Cho is the official photographer and brand development manager at our farm. He does a fantastic job capturing images of the farm as well as making extraordinary YouTube videos.
Noodle
Noodle is the official mascot of the farm. She is a 7-year-old miniature Australian labradoodle that loves life in the jungle. In her spare time, you can find her playing in our swimming pool on the property, swimming in the river or the Carribbean Sea, shredding coconuts, or playing with her dog friend and neighbor, Truffles.
Life on the Balam’ke Farms
Our team at Balam’ke Farms rises with the sun to attend to the plants. We take care of them like babies and ensure everything from seed to bean is 100% organic.
The journey so far has been invigorating in terms of cacao farming education and practice. On the farm, we have learned determination, patience, perseveration, and kindness. We have dedicated a lot of time, energy, and effort and have encountered a unique set of challenges and opportunities in the last few months of developing Balam’ke Farms from the ground up.
We are proud members of the tiny farming community of Belize. We truly enjoy being outdoors, appreciating the life we are living amidst nature.
One thing that has especially kept us busy and interested throughout the journey is beekeeping. We are committed to taking care of our bees. They are a part of our family at Balam’ke Farms. We love feeding them, preventing mites in them, and helping them survive the winter season.
Bees do not only pollinate flowering plants and give us honey but also enhance the health of our farm. Their ability to pollinate flowers plays a vital role in the reproduction of native plants and crops.
We are grateful to have such amazing Mayan neighbors who have helped us transform our dream of an environmentally-conscious farm into reality. There is nothing more satisfying and rewarding than growing food on our farms and sourcing it to people across countries. We understand that it is a huge responsibility, and we don’t take it for granted!
The Day We Set Up Our Beehives
The day we set up the beehives at the farm will always be one of the most exciting and memorable days at the farm. The bees were contained in big rectangular wooden boxes. We were all dressed up for the job. After driving to a suitable location, we got out of the car and carried the boxes on our back to the spot where the hives had already been assembled.
We never knew transferring the bees into their new home could be such a thrilling experience. Once done, we were all filled with excited anticipation for our beekeeping journey!
The Secrets of Mayan Farming
The rigorous application of the proprietary principles of Mayan farming, coupled with the rich soil and cacao genetics of Southern Belize and our farmers’ motivation, has allowed us to transform 640 acres of land into a thriving forest garden.
Essentially, the Mayans have taught us three types of farming methods. For mountainous highlands, it is best to build terraces in hills in order to flatten the land for farming. Earth raised platforms usually work well for swampy lowlands. It is necessary to dig canals to get rid of excess water. Lastly, in dense, forested lowlands, the Mayans preferred to cut and burn the extra plants and trees. The ashes enhance the soil’s ability to grow crops.
At Balam’ke Farms, sustainable agriculture and eco-friendly farming is our passion.
We’d love for you to visit us sometime!