The Cacao blooms are attached to the trunk of the tree. It seems to me that this is a natural defense to keep the branches from breaking. The Cacao fruits are so heavy that just two on any of the branches could cause it to snap so the tree has it’s fruit on it’s trunk. The last picture is our homemade drying rack. After fermenting we put the cacao beans on this rack in the direct sun for about 4 days then we roast in a wok over an open fire.