OUR STORY

Tierra de 'Cao is a Black family-owned cacao sanctuary nestled in the lush, water-rich hills of Yamasa—a name inherited from the Taíno, the original stewards of this land. Located on the eastern side of Ayiti, now called the Dominican Republic, this land holds the stories of migration, return, and rebirth.

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Our farm was founded in 1988 through the quiet persistence of Calixto Frómeta, a New York City taxi driver, and Ana Ventura Artiles, a hotel housekeeper. As immigrants in the U.S., they hustled for every dollar—buying this land little by little, parcel by parcel—with the dream of one day returning to cultivate something sacred for our family and community. What began as a small plot of soil has grown into a sanctuary where cacao, memory, and intergenerational healing thrive.

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Since 2017, our sister organization, YAYA, has helped breathe new life into the farm. YAYA is a creative studio and cultural project committed to building spaces where Black, Indigenous, and queer folks can play, experiment, and reimagine futures rooted in land, healing, and storytelling. Through YAYA’s leadership, Tierra de 'Cao has expanded its offerings beyond cacao—becoming a living classroom for youth, a cultural sanctuary, and a bridge between ancestral knowledge and future visions.

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At the heart of our work is cacao—revered by our ancestors as the food of the gods. We honor indigenous practices of cultivating and harvesting our cacao, using traditional methods passed down through land and lineage. Our cacao is grown without chemicals, harvested by hand, and dried in the Caribbean sun with care and intention.

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We are proud to wholesale our cacao to makers and dreamers around the world. And we give back with every sale. For every dollar of cacao we sell, 25 cents goes directly to community programs like Juventud Al Día, a powerful youth-led radio and TV show in Yamasa where young people speak boldly on justice, history, and hope across the island.

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Tierra de 'Cao is more than a farm—it is a sanctuary of return, of remembering, and of radical possibility.