Ethically Sourced Organic Cacao
We pride ourselves on providing the highest quality, ethically-sourced cacao. Every step of the process is designed to respect all of the people along the way, as well as supporting the health of our planet.
Origins Of Cacao
Cacao is a crop that was first cultivated by the ancient Aztecs and Mayans in South America, and is the foundation for
what we now call chocolate. The idea of chocolate originates from a bitter beverage made with cacao, that was shared
during sacred ceremonies. The cacao bean was so significant to the indigenous South American cultures that it was used
as a currency in trade, given to warriors as a post battle reward, and served at royal feasts.
An Unfortunate Truth
When the Spanish colonists discovered the value of the local cacao crop in the 1500s, much of the wisdom, culture, and spiritual practice connected to cacao was lost. As time went on, rainforests where cacao was grown became resources for business, and cacao became one of many rainforest products extracted for the benefit of the colonisers. Today, cacao is a colonised multi billion dollar global industry and is rife with unfair labour practices, as large chocolate companies prioritise profit over ethics and quality. Collateral damage to this over-consumption includes environmental degradation, widespread deforestation, species extinction, and fractured food systems. To this day, cacao is still grown in the context of an extractive capitalist system, and the ancestral wisdom of cacao is largely disregarded.
How Can We Change This?
We as individuals must acknowledge and grieve the colonisation of cacao. We must understand where our cacao comes from, and the implications of that sourcing. As we become more mindful of this, we will encourage a reconciliation process to restore the respect that has been lost to the colonising mechanisms of supremacy and capitalism. This is how the individual can make a change to the system. We can support ethical change by purchasing directly from small cacao farmers and eliminate the need for brokers. This means paying cacao prices far higher than the industry average. This helps to redistribute profits equally and fairly among local communities. An even further step is to honour and treat cacao as a sacred plant, as it was done in pre-colonial times. This is something that can be done on an individual level, by forming a relationship with cacao in a ceremonial way, as opposed to eating chocolate.
Environmental Regeneration
To support our environment, we must support regenerative farming practices. Cacao grown under the shade of other crops is a far more sustainable option, promoting biodiversity, improving soil fertility, and providing a healthy habitat for plants, animals, birds and insects. Shade-grown cacao also draws carbon out of the atmosphere and stores it in soil, branches and roots, sequestering about 60% of carbon surrounding the native forest. This is opposed to monoculture cacao farms which sequesters only about 30% carbon. As an addition to other regenerative farming methods and practices around the world, shade-grown cacao has a strong part to play in reversing the effects of climate change.
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