Whoops, originally posted in the wrong spot - couldn't delete it. sorry for duplicate.It does not. There is no genetic ownership component of this effort. It's being driven, in large part, by a realization that the status of cacao husbandry is at about the same place maize was in the early 1900's, and unless action is taken, there is a great likelihood that demand will outstrip supply, especially in light of disease, pest, and yield pressures.Witches broom 2 decades ago was a warning shot across the bow highlighting just how fragile the crop can be. There are a dozen other witches broom type things knocking at the door today. Farmers are not wanting their kids to farm because of a variety of reasons. If farmers no longer farm, they find another livelihood and we no longer eat chocolate.I understand your distrust of corporate america. it's usually well founded.

Hi everyone, I'm kinda new here, been reading and lurking in the background for a few weeks. I'm a baker, mostly bread, in northern California, and learning to work with chocolate. Thank you for the informative conversations.When I read the WashPost's article about this yesterday my first thought was that neither Mars nor Hershey are philanthropic organizations or scientific think tanks that thrive on free inquiry alone. Does the 10mill Mars put toward this effort in any way translate to their "ownership" of the sequenced genes? Just because it is sharing its preliminary results now doesn't mean there won't be a price to pay in order to use this information later.

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updated by @clay: 03/11/26 06:20:34