Help bring high quality, direct brand ceremonial grade cacao and cacao essential oil to CT, New England, and Beyond!

When we drink ceremonial cacao, it’s extremely important to remember its true origins. This sacred plant was not made for most of us (westerners); it was a revered plant ally of Indigenous peoples in Central and South America for thousands of years before it was stolen and commercialized by white explorers.

Much of that reverence was lost when South America was colonized by Spain and cacao made its way to Europe.

The Spanish Conquistadors stole cacao through force, slavery, and murder on its native lands and turned it into a luxury good for the elite. Over time, it was stripped of its ritual and sacred roots and became the sweetened chocolate we know today. The very chocolate industry that now profits from it was built on a history of colonization and cultural appropriation.

If you are a white Western consumer, it's not your place to claim this medicine as your own, but rather to approach it with deep respect and humility.

This is also why it is so important to purchase from Indigenous wisdom keepers and companies who honor the sacred standards of ceremonial cacao as well as be honest about who you are and your relationship to cacao. It’s an act of decolonization, acknowledging and giving back to the people who lovingly stewarded this plant for centuries, while also giving credit where it is due.

And that is exactly the inspiration behind this non-profit. To aid the effort to restore right relatioship with cacao, the land, and it’s people.

If your curiosity is piqued by the history, origins, colonization, and subsequent decolonization efforts of cacao and it’s wisdom keepers, I encourage you to do additional research and educate yourself.

When it comes to ceremonial grade cacao, there is no certifying body or governing agency that requires certain standrads in order to use the label of “ceremonial grade”. Ceremonial grade standards are generally agreed upon standards in the cacao industry and are listed below. Please note that it is very important to do your own research and ask questions when it comes to purchasing ceremonial grade cacao because, unfortunately, it is not always used ethically.

The standards are (and may vary slightly based on who you ask):

1. 100 % Pure - It's 100% pure cacao paste, not powder.. The whole cacao bean—including its fat (cacao butter, which holds A LOT of the benefical nutrients) and solids—preferably stone-ground into a rich paste.

2. No additives - Cacao is a whole food, so the only thing you'll find on the ingredient list is "100% Cacao" or "Theobroma Cacao."

3. Processing - Gentle, low-temperature processing - To preserve the cacao’s delicate compounds like theobromine and anandamide, it's typically fermented, dried, and roasted at low temperatures.

4. Single Origin / Region - Or specific regional sourcing: Reputable and transparent ceremonial cacao, which is traceable, is sourced from a single farm, a specific cooperative, or a small, defined region.

5. Farming Practices - Grown in harmony with nature: The best cacao comes from organic, sustainable, regenerative farming and agroforestry systems where cacao trees are grown in a biodiverse environment, not in a mono-crop plantation.

6. Direct Trade - The cacao should be ethically sourced, directly with the farmers and their communities receiving fair and equitable compensation—often well above the commodity market price.

7. Energetics - The cacao is grown, harvested, and prepared with respect and reverence for the plant and its ancient roots – the energetics and intention matter. Many sources of true ceremonial cacao work directly with indigenous communities in its native regions of Central and South America.

ABOUT KAUKAWA:

Mission:

“At Kaukawa Cacao, our mission is to honor cacao as a sacred plant, through high-quality, traceable products and services that respect both nature and the culture of Peru. We work with local producers to preserve and expand the native diversity of cacao—especially the chuncho cacao of Cusco—and to educate people about cacao of excellence. As a pioneering brand in ceremonial cacao, we are committed to a more conscious and sustainable future.”

Vision:

“Our vision at Kaukawa Cacao is to become the leading global reference for ceremonial cacao and high-quality, traceable Peruvian bean-to-bar chocolate. All our products are crafted in Peru, positioning the country worldwide as a leading producer of cacao of excellence, while prioritizing indigenous cultures, ecological, economic, and socio-cultural sustainability, and the empowerment of women”

Envisioning Together:

“We envision a world where cacao is valued as a sacred plant, where consumers recognize the origin, sacredness, and impact of the cacao plant, fruit, beans and products . A world where farmers are recognized as guardians of biodiversity, where native cacao varieties are protected, and where cacao-based businesses contribute to a regenerative economy rooted in respect, reciprocity, and responsibility. We aim to empower farmers to grow with vision, helping them improving their cacao bean quality, increase their income, and tell their own stories through cacao. Our cacao is a living connection between the Earth, the people, and those who receive it.”

learn more at www.kaukawa.com

ABOUT CHUNCHO CACAO:

“We work with the native Chuncho cacao variety from Cusco, one of the oldest known cacao types in the world. Grown in nutrient-rich soil free from heavy metals, some Chuncho trees are over 150 years old and still thriving. Renowned for its exceptional flavor and aroma, Chuncho cacao offers delicate floral and fruity notes. The beans are small and round, while the pods vary in shape, reflecting the diversity within this ancient variety. Chuncho cacao includes several unique cultivars, such as Chuncho Señorita, Chuncho Achoccha, and Chuncho Pamuco. It also grows at the highest altitudes and contains the highest natural cacao butter content of any cacao variety in the world.”

learn more at www.kaukawa.com

Over 3 years ago, I began my devotional relationship with cacao – not just as a medicinal plant, but as a spirit and guide. I knew from the first time I sat with cacao that I would serve this others.

During this time of my life, I was at a personal rock bottom - completely heart broken from my dreams of van life failing, ending a budding relationship, and taking a huge step away from everything that felt comfortable. I felt lost and directionless.

And while I sat in rock bottom with myself, I remembered having tried ceremonial cacao at a few holistic events in the past. I recalled it was known for heart healing and opening, and even heard people talking about the blissful, euphoric feels it can enduce. At the time, I had no idea if it was even science backed or all woo woo, and I didn’t care. I was seeking relief, direction, and guidance - and was willing to try anything. (and spoiler alert: I later learned that all of the effects of cacao are science backed!)

Ceremonial Cacao has since transformed my life in nearly every way, from the inside out, with her ability to help me find profound healing, growth, meaning, and eventually joy, fulfillment, creativity, and community. Cacao became has become a life path for me. A slow burn of personal growth and development versus the “spiritual high” that often seems attractive.

In those early days, I sat in a full ceremony at home with cacao for several months. I sat and listened … Since then, I’ve say with cacao over 1,300 times in this devotional practice and long term energetic study. I can say with certainty at this point the depth of our heart and love that we can access and experience with the support of Mama Cacao is an infinite spiral inward. I am continuously blown away by the life changing experiences I’ve had and witnessed in others through this plant medicine.

In 2025, my relationship to cacao was completely rocked when I embarked on a cacao-inspired pilgrimage. I was ultimately asked by the medicine to confront challenging and uncomfortable themes such as entitlement, extractive new age culture, appropriation, sourcing cacao respectfully, being taken advantage of, cultural resentment, and even looked long and hard at my own self-worth, security, and mission/purpose. For the depth of relationship I had previously cultivated with cacao, all this was extremely unsettling.

I questioned everything about my relationship to cacao, my “right” to talk about her and share her in community in exchange for payment, wondering if anything I had ever experienced with cacao was even true or real – it got dark. I lost faith in my vision and my mission.

Still…no matter what happened, something inside of me told me to keep showing up with cacao in whatever way I could every day I was able to. (Even when I didn’t always have access to ceremonial-grade cacao.)

And so I did…some days,  begrudgingly so. Some days I was numb, feeling decision fatigue of constantly being on the move, drowning in a vast sea of uncertainty, feeling so isolated and alone that not even the warm embrace of Mama Cacao could pull me out of the darkness. This made me question everything even more.

But I kept hearing the still, small voice invite me to show up, and so I kept coming to the altar of love…with all my feelings, my doubts, and the many questions with no answers.

I spent several months this year sitting with the bitterness of love – the raw, searing, sometimes harsh kind of love that doesn’t even feel like love because it has you looking at yourself long and hard – and I drank the medicine of life.

I got WORKED this year. And my spirit was ROCKED.

And truthfully, in some of the darkest moments, I didn’t know if my relationship with cacao would ever be the same or if I would even feel the call to serve anymore.

But I just kept trusting that voice, even when … especially when … I felt like I couldn’t trust myself anymore. Eventually, thank the Goddess, I had the inspiration to import my beloved Chuncho Cacao from Peru to Colombia.

When I opened that package and made my first cup of chuncho in 5 months, tears welled in my eyes before I even took a sip. And as I drank my cacao, it felt like a homecoming. My entire heart came back online – in just 1 cup of cacao – everything felt clearer, brighter, and more easeful. Decisions and next steps where came inspired and hope was quickly restored. But most of all, I felt like I had been reunited with my soulmate after a long and dark separation.

On the other side of that experience, I feel a deeper and more grounded connection to cacao, feel her in the full spectrum of true love – sweet and bitter, and have been preparing to enter my next chapter with being not just a steward of cacao, but serving as an ally and liaison to the people behind it as well.

After much reserach, contemplation, and prayer, I have landed on the notion that forming a non-profit to support bringing these direct branded cacaos to the states and making them more easily available is the best way I can currently support this calling - taking the next step into the unknown to support this mission.

I look forward to continue to developing a deeper relationship with cacao and it’s wisdom keepers and seeing where the path is leading me as I deepen in devotion to the medicine through sourcing ehtical, direct branded cacao products and forming a non profit.

Thank you for being a part of the journey and following along. Stay tuned for more updates!