In a state better known for pineapples and macadamias, cacao is becoming a popular crop with small farmers. And at one orchard, guests get to see the whole process, from raw bean to chocolate bar.

A gecko savors cacao beans on Bob and Pam Cooper's cacao farm on Hawaii's Big Island. (Jay Jones / For The Times)

From The LA Times …

The TV commercial for an insurance company — the one in which a gecko is seen putting a dollar bill that’s bigger than it is into a vending machine for a bag of chips — is certainly memorable. But it’s also implausible.

Anyone who truly knows the little lizards realizes they’ll take a sweet treat over a salty one (like chips) every time. Just ask Bob and Pam Cooper.

The Coopers aren’t herpetologists. They’re farmers who grow cacao trees on Hawaii’s Big Island. They know from experience how much geckos love the gooey, sweet mucilage that covers the raw beans from which cocoa and chocolate are made.

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Source: Jay Jones, LA Times