Almarte Foundation – Activity Report for 2025
The year 2025 marked the first year of activity for the Almarte Foundation. The foundation was officially established in May 2025 and began its operational activities during the second half of the year. This initial phase focused primarily on building organizational structures, developing operational systems, and creating a long-term model capable of sustainably supporting the foundation’s statutory and social objectives in the future.
The broader vision of the Almarte Foundation is to support regenerative agriculture, ecological education, intercultural exchange, conscious community development, and sustainable food systems. Through a combination of educational initiatives, community activities, and responsible commercial operations, the foundation aims to contribute to long-term ecological and social regeneration.
Building a Sustainable Value Chain Around Cacao
The main area of activity in 2025 was the development of a sustainable value chain for cacao originating from the Dominican Republic.
The cacao is cultivated on a regenerative farm in the Majagual region, developed over many years by Günther Schichl, co-founder of the Almarte Foundation.
Over recent years, former cattle land has gradually been transformed into a diverse agroforestry and permaculture ecosystem containing thousands of cacao trees alongside many tropical plant species.
During 2025, the foundation initiated collaborations with partners in the Dominican Republic and Austria in order to process cacao and introduce cacao-based products to the European market through both wholesale (B2B) and direct-to-consumer (B2C) channels.
These activities were intended to establish a stable economic foundation capable of supporting the future social, educational, and ecological initiatives of the organization.
Establishment of Local Operations in the Dominican Republic
In 2025, the Almarte Foundation also initiated the process of establishing a local operational structure in the Dominican Republic in order to support the long-term implementation of its activities on site.
As part of this process, the foundation’s leadership decided to establish a local entity, Almarte S.R.L., in the Dominican Republic. A local legal firm was commissioned to carry out the incorporation process and support the legal and operational setup of the organization within the country.
The purpose of this local structure is to enable the foundation and its partners to more effectively manage local operations related to the farm, agricultural activities, educational programs, and future regenerative development projects.
In the medium and long term, the intention is for the local structure to support the long-term stewardship, regenerative development, and operational management of the farm and surrounding ecosystem in the Dominican Republic.
This includes supporting sustainable agriculture, educational initiatives, community projects, and regenerative land stewardship.
The establishment of a local presence is considered an important strategic step toward building long-term stability, transparency, and operational capacity for the foundation’s activities within the region.
Financial Result and Development Phase
As a result of the early development stage and the significant organizational, administrative, and infrastructure-building investments required, the commercial activities of the foundation did not yet achieve full financial sustainability during 2025.
The foundation remains in an early development and infrastructure-building phase.
The foundation closed the year with a loss of approximately EUR 7.500, primarily related to startup costs, operational development, and preparation of long-term initiatives typical for an early-stage organization.
The strategic objective for 2026 is to achieve operational profitability and generate resources that will enable active financing of the foundation’s statutory goals.
First Educational and Community Event on the Farm
Despite being in an early stage of development, the foundation also launched its first social and educational activities.
On December 20th, 2025, the Almarte Foundation organized its first official open community event on the farm in the Dominican Republic. Participants were able to register free of charge through the foundation’s website.
The event combined educational, ecological, and community-oriented activities. Participants took part in practical work related to soil regeneration and sustainable land management.
In particular, activities included pruning vegetation and reintroducing organic plant material into the soil in order to naturally enrich it and improve growing conditions for cacao trees — especially in areas with rocky terrain.
Education, Permaculture, and Community Building
The program also included educational sessions focused on:
- permaculture,
- regenerative agriculture,
- cacao cultivation,
- sustainable tropical ecosystem management.
An important aspect of the gathering involved community-building and reflective practices such as:
- meditation sessions,
- group reflections,
- cacao-based cultural experiences,
- shared integration activities.
The intention of the event was not only to share knowledge, but also to create space for meaningful human connection, collaboration, and conscious engagement with nature.
Exploratory Plant Bioacoustics Demonstrations
The event was also attended by a collaborator known as “Mama Cacao,” who works with the Damanhur ecovillage project, part of the Global Ecovillage Network.
As part of this collaboration, participants were introduced to experimental technologies capable of translating plant frequencies and bioelectrical activity into sound.
Initial exploratory demonstrations related to cacao plants were conducted on the farm as part of the educational program. These activities aimed to encourage curiosity, ecological awareness, and broader reflection on the relationship between humans, plants, and natural ecosystems.
Integration with the Local Community
An important element of the event was the collaboration and integration with the local community of the Majagual region.
Shared meals were organized using local ingredients harvested directly from the farm, including products such as:
- yuca,
- potatoes,
- tomatoes,
- local tropical fruits.
These activities aimed to strengthen social relationships, encourage intercultural exchange, and promote local sustainable food production.
Direction for 2026
The first initiatives implemented during 2025 establish the foundation for a broader program of activities planned for 2026.
Planned future activities include:
- regular educational visits to the farm,
- workshops focused on regenerative agriculture and permaculture,
- volunteer programs,
- expansion of the international community around the project,
- further development of commercial activities supporting the foundation’s statutory mission.
In addition, the foundation plans to further strengthen its operational presence in the Dominican Republic and continue developing partnerships connected to regenerative agriculture, sustainable food systems, education, and conscious community development.
Inclusion in the Global Ecovillage Network
In 2025, the Almarte Foundation was officially included on the global map of ecovillages and regenerative projects maintained by the Global Ecovillage Network.
The project profile can be found here: