Cacao Ceremony

Cacao has been used for centuries by the indigenous cultures of Central and South America.  The Olmec used Cacao for ceremony and as medicine.  The Mayan tell us that the Cacao was a gift from a deity and that the Spirit of Cacao is conjured up when drinking Cacao in Ceremony.  The Mayan used Cacao for Ceremony, medicine and personal consumption.  The Aztec later increased the use of Cacao and began to incorporate Cacao into the diet of the population.  Cacao could not be easily grown in the regions of the Aztec cities so the areas of Aztec conquest that could grow Cacao supplied the growing need for Cacao.  Cacao soon becomes used as a form of currency and trade.

When the Spanish first conquered the expansive civilization of the Aztec they understood that Cacao had an innate power and it was brought as gifts to the King and Queen of Europe.  Little was known about the use of Cacao by the Indigenous as the conquerors were quick to suppress the practices of the indigenous people.  The Mayan word chocolātl eventually becomes the word Chocolate.

Through the centuries, with the growth and popularity of Coc-OA (an alkalized by-product of Cac-AO) used in chocolate bars, has fueled a rising demand for Cacao.  The agriculture industries selected the quicker growing, large bean producing strains; Forrestero & Trinitario to use for mass production.  Much of the world’s Cacao supply is grown in Africa and Indonesia where Cacao is not native.  Overtime, Cacao’s genetics have been bred down and now less than 1% of the worlds Cacao is the strain we call Criollo.

The practices of Cacao being used in ceremony would be lost to antiquity if not for a few tribes and families who still use Cacao ceremonially.  They are scattered throughout the natural growing region of Cacao; Central America and the Northern half of South America.

Cacao originates in the Amazon jungle of current day Peru, Ecuador and Brazil.  We source our High Content Criollo Cacao from the highlands of Guatemala.  Generations after being first introduced to Guatemala, the small bean Criollo developed.  Criollo is unique in that it has the highest concentration of Anandamide and Theobromine, two of the many psycho-active ingredients that give Cacao its power “scientifically.”  The energy and the Spirit of Cacao are what make the plant a powerful healing medicine.

Although many farms around the world claim to produce “Criollo” Cacao, it is almost impossible to produce 100% Criollo because each Cacao Pod can produce Cacao Beans of varying percentages of Forrestero, Trinitario and Criollo. We have found the Cacao that is grown deep in the highlands of Guatemala to contain the highest percentage of Criollo Cacao providing a potency to facilitate deep connection. We are grateful to source our Cacao from this powerful land!