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May 29, 2026
Rancho Paradise Farm Tour
by Mary Loan

If someone came upon a friendly gathering under a white tent at a scenic farm backyard in Belize they might think it was a fun social event.  Listening to the talk, one would figure the food and drink was special and they would soon learn that the event was the prelude was for a farm tour of Rancho Paradise Farm featuring ramon trees and passion fruit vines.  Fifteen adventuresome Pro-Organic Belize members enjoyed ramon patties and a ramon beverage before setting off on a tour of Oscar and Ana Moralez  farm in Los Tambos Cayo, Belize.  Oscar and his wife own and nurture the orchards with a labor of love.  Their farm is the one place in Belize you can visit to experience ramon and appreciate the work it takes to plant and care for through harvest, then process to a fine flour to make chapatis (tortillas) and other patties from the ramon seeds.  The visitors tasted raw and cooked ramon seeds and observed the stages of processing the seeds in the greenhouse. The roasted seeds are ground for a coffee like beverage.

Ramon (Brosimum alicastrum)  trees have supplied centuries of ancient Central American civilizations with their nutritious seeds. The seeds are a rich  source of fiber, calcium, potassium B vitamins, iron zinc  protein and anti-oxidants.  They are gluten and caffeine free.   Freshly harvested seeds are best planted at the start of the rainy season. The trees grow to be 12-18 inches tall in one year with the fruits ready for harvest in 5-6 years and each tree may produce 100s of pounds of fruit for each harvest and can produce fruit for 100 years. Ramon trees are resilient and thrive in drought conditions in the shallow, rocky limestone soil of Belize. Curious minds were also satisfied to learn about the non-hybrid coconuts, mangos and other fruits, as well as  the ramon and passion fruit orchards. 

In the midst of the ramon orchard, the farm visitors wondered “What in the world is a cement mixer doing in the middle of the orchard?”  Oscar explained that he has invented a unique method of creating loamy potting soil using a mixture of 2 parts chipped wood to one part rice hulls and lets the cement mixer do the work of blending the ingredients with dirt.  Packets of ramon flour coffee and other ramon products have the potential to provide nutritious food for the residents of Belize.  

On the outskirts of the orchard passion fruit vines grow vigourously.  The ripe passion fruit pulp is harvested from the hull to be processed, frozen and ready for sale.  Oscar demonstrated how to prune the vines to be more productive.  Contact Oscar and Ana to learn more about the art of growing ramon and passion fruit and to purchase ramon flour or seeds toasted and ground to make a delicious coffee like beverage. Email:  oscarfmoralez@gmail.com   651-0710

At the end of the tour Oscar and Ana were provided with a certificate from Pro-Organic Belize in recognition of their support for regenerative principles, pesticide-free farming practices and producing healthy food.