Volunteer at a beautiful organic cacao farm and learn about local traditions in Mangalore, India

Informationen

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  Beschreibung

  Greetings from our lush 22-acre farm in Dakshina Kannada! We’d love to welcome passionate travelers to join us in discovering the joys of organic cacao cultivation and chocolate making.
  
  After a rewarding corporate career in Bangalore, I chose to follow my passion for the land and sustainable living. Today, we craft bean-to-bar chocolate, practice regenerative farming, and welcome volunteers who wish to learn, share, and contribute.
  
  We share our farm with Five friendly dogs (Munchi, Robin, Malli, Sambi, and Shunthi), a gentle cow (Babu) and her calf Chinku and our cat Pilli 🐶🐂🐱.
  
  🌿 Cocoa Season is March to July! 🌿
  When it’s cocoa season, most of our work is focused on harvesting, fermenting, drying, and processing cacao. That is a wonderful time to join us, experience the process firsthand, and watch cacao transform into high-quality chocolate!
  
  We work at our farm, there are neighbouring farms where we bring cocoa from so sometimes, we visit those farms. But the work is on our farm.
  
  🔹 Fermentation & Drying
  
  Fermentation takes about 7–10 days, depending on moisture levels. As a volunteer, you’ll check if the beans are ready by cutting a few open and examining their color.
  
  Once fermentation is complete, the beans are washed and then moved to the drying room.
  
  Drying usually takes about 7 days, or longer during the monsoon. The beans need to be turned daily to ensure they dry evenly.
  
  🔹 Bean-to-Bar Chocolate Making 🍫
  
  Once dried, cacao beans are usually sent to chocolatiers — but we always keep some for making chocolate in-house!
  
  As a volunteer, you’ll get hands-on experience in roasting, winnowing, grinding, and tempering the beans into smooth chocolate.
  
  We make 100%, 80%, and 55% varieties, often sweetened with sugar
  
  🔹 Planting New Cocoa Trees
  
  Most of our cacao trees are currently at our friend’s farm and getting wet beans from other local farmers as well, but we’ve also begun planting our very own cacao orchard.
  
  Since cacao trees take about 5 years to mature and another 3 years to yield high-quality beans, we’re investing in the future of our farm’s production.

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  Arten von Hilfe und Lernmöglichkeiten

  Karitative Arbeit

  Kunstprojekte

  Hilfe bei Ökoprojekten

  Leichte Gartenarbeit

  Kreative Heimwerkerprojekte

  Betreuung von Tieren

  Mithilfe auf einem Bauernhof

  Zubereiten / Kochen von Mahlzeiten für die Familie

  Hausarbeiten

  Leichte Instandhaltungsarbeiten
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  Interessengebiete

  

  Erlebnissportarten
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  UNO-Ziele für nachhaltige Entwicklung, die dieser Gastgeber verfolgt

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  Was ist das?
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  Kultureller Austausch und Lernmöglichkeiten

  💡 What You’ll Gain
  🔹 Hands-on cacao farming and bean processing, plus a chance to see how our chocolate is made.
  🔹 Exposure to sustainable and regenerative agriculture.
  🔹 Skill development in fermentation, tree planting, and permaculture.
  🔹 A deep cultural experience with local traditions and people.

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  Arbeit

  💪 Join Our Farm Projects!
  We’re looking for enthusiastic volunteers who are passionate about cacao farming, sustainable agriculture, and hands-on projects.
  
  🌱 Farm & Cacao Activities
  
  🌱 Cacao-Related Work
  
  * Load and unload cacao pods and beans (in trays and sacks)
  
  * Mix the fermenting beans
  
  * Dry and sort cacao beans
  
  * Observe and learn about our bean-to-bar chocolate process
  
  🌿 Farm Work
  
  * Plant, water, and care for vegetables and fruits trees
  
  * Assist with composting, weeding, and general garden maintenance
  
  * Unload construction materials when they arrive
  
  🐾 Animal Care
  
  * Care for animals, including bathing them and feeding the dogs, cats, and cows
  
  🌿 A Few Things to Keep in Mind
  * The work is physical & repetitive at times and may not be suitable for those with limited physical stamina.
  * The monsoon has started, so there may be periods of heavy rain. The weather can also get quite cool at night, so we recommend bringing a light jacket or warm clothes.
  * You’ll often get your hands dirty, especially during bean mixing and farm tasks.
  * During fermentation, there is a strong natural smell from the cacao beans.
  * We can host up to 4 volunteers at a time. Please include the code word "Solmelu" in your message so we know you've read our profile.
  * You’ll be surrounded by animals, as our dogs and cats share the common lobby with volunteers.
  * As this is a farm close to nature, you may occasionally encounter small wildlife.
  * Farm life can be unstructured and messy at times and may not be ideal for those who prefer highly orderly environments.
  
  
  🔧Special Skills Needed
  If you have experience in any of the following areas, your help would be especially valuable:
  * Welding
  * Carpentry
  * Website development
  * Construction related
  * Interior designers
  * Product design
  * Hospitality
  * Cooking
  * Social media management
  * Mural artist
  
  We are constantly improving our farm’s infrastructure, branding, and digital presence, so your expertise will make a real impact.
  
  ⏳ Work Schedule & Expectations
  
  We usually work 5 hours/day for 5 days, with two days off.
  
  Working hours vary depending on the day's tasks and usually start early in the morning (as early as 6:45 AM). During the monsoon, heavy rain may delay or change our schedule, so we ask volunteers to be flexible, as work may start and finish later than usual.
  
  We usually try to give weekends off to all volunteers. However, depending on the number of volunteers and animal care duties, your two days off may fall during the week, with Saturdays and Sundays being regular working days.

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  Sprachen

  Gesprochene Sprachen
  Englisch: Fließend
  Hindi: Fließend
  Kannada: Fließend

  Dieser Gastgeber bietet Sprachaustausch an
  beginner Spanish and German
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  Unterkunft

  🏡 Accommodation & Food
  
  🏡 Accommodation:
  Volunteers stay in a shared dormitory with beds and foldable foam mattresses—comfortable but not luxurious—with a separate space for solo female volunteers. We also have tents available. We provide a safe and welcoming environment where you can relax after a fulfilling day on the farm.
  
  🍽️ Meals & Kitchen Access
  We provide nutritious vegetarian meals and can accommodate dietary preferences upon request.
  
  A shared kitchen is available for volunteers. We provide breakfast, lunch, and dinner, which are prepared by our staff. Volunteers are welcome to make tea, coffee, eggs, and toast on their own, but they will need to buy their own eggs, bread, and other ingredients.
  
  Only on Sundays, each volunteer prepares breakfast for themselves. You can use the kitchen groceries. For lunch & dinner, all volunteers cook together.
  
  Our goal is to create a community-driven space where volunteers can enjoy farm life while learning, sharing experiences, and connecting with others.

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  Was noch ...

  🌊 Beyond the Farm – Adventure & Culture
  We make sure volunteers enjoy a well-rounded experience, including:
  
  🏞 Trekking adventures through the beautiful Western Ghats.
  
  🏄‍♂️ Weekend surfing at nearby beaches.
  
  🎭 Cultural experiences – Witness traditional folk dances and local festivals.
  
  🚗 Sightseeing trips – Explore the region’s scenic beauty and heritage.
  
  🌊 Relax in our hammocks and unwind in the peaceful surroundings.
  
  🍫 Saturday is chocolate day! Taste our in-house chocolates in all sorts of yummy flavors.

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  Etwas mehr Information

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    Internet Zugang

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    Eingeschränkter Internet Zugang

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    Wir besitzen Tiere

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    Wir sind Raucher

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    Familien möglich

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  Kann Digital Nomads unterbringen

  We welcome digital nomads, there is good high speed broadband at the farm.

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  Platz zum Abstellen von Camper Vans

  Its a farm, there is enough space to park car, campervan or motor house.

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  Hier sind Haustiere in der Regel willkommen

  We are pet friendly farm, we have our own pets too. We have a bull, a couple of dogs and cats, all rescue's. So would be more than happy to have a few more at the farm.

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  Kapazität - wie viele Workawayer maximal

  mehr als zwei

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  Meine Tiere/Haustiere

  Raja

  Babu

  Puli

  Robin

  Munchi

  Pili (2 Jahren)

Website-Sicherheit

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