100% Single-Origin
Alta Verapaz, Guatemala
Ceremonial-grade-Cacao | From Q’eqchi’ and Pocomchì Maya Family Farmers
Flavour & Ritual Profile
Sensory Notes: Ripe Cherries | Cardamom | Spicy
Energetic Profile: High Vibrational | Intense | Energising | Heart-Opening
Origin
Highlands of Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, cloud forest
The Hands
Q’eqchi’ & Pocomchì Maya farmers, via the FEDECOVERA cooperative
Genetics
Acriollado, native Criollo with subtle Trinitario notes
Farming
Shade-grown under the rainforest canopy, agroforestry
Ceremonial & Organic
100% pure ceremonial-grade, ethically sourced
Flavour
Ripe cherries, cardamom, spicy
GUATEMALA
ALTA VERAPAZ
In the misty highlands of Alta Verapaz, the ancestral lands of the Q’eqchi’ Maya, cacao has been revered as sacred medicine for thousands of years. These mountains, mentioned in the Popol Vuh, the Maya creation story, are more than landforms, they are spiritual guardians. Here, farmers offer prayers and ceremonies to honour the spirits of the land, asking for protection and balance.
From this sacred landscape grows a rare cacao, known locally as Acriollado, a natural blend of ancient Criollo genetics with subtle Trinitario notes. Grown beneath the rainforest canopy, she carries the soul of the cloud forest in every bean, rich in flavour, story, and ancestral spirit.
This cacao comes to you through a beautiful collaboration with FEDECOVERA, one of Guatemala’s leading indigenous cooperatives. Rooted in Maya tradition, they unite over 25,000 Q’eqchi’ and Pocomchì farmers cultivating cacao through biodiverse, sustainable agroforestry systems.
By joining FEDECOVERA, farmers gain access to healthcare, housing, low or 0% loans, organic farming education, technical support, and leadership training, especially for women and youth, empowering communities to thrive while protecting sacred traditions and the rainforest that sustains them.
Sustainably grown Regenerative Cacao farming
Ethically Sourced From High-Biodiverse lands
GUATEMALA
The Hands That Tend Her
Meet the Q’eqchi’ and Pocomchì Maya families who grow this sacred cacao in the highlands of Alta Verapaz.
The Faces of Alta Verapaz
Moments from the highlands, farms, and hands of Alta Verapaz.
CEREMONIAL GRADE CACAO
Ceremonial cacao holds significant importance for the Maya people, who honour it as a sacred plant gifted to humanity to enrich our spirit and essence.
Considered a symbol of life and fertility, cacao nurtures physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being, providing nourishment throughout the human development journey. With gratitude to Mother Earth for her sustenance and reverence for the cosmos, ceremonial cacao has long connected the Maya to the divine and the energies that enable our existence.
In their sacred rituals, cacao was first offered back to the Earth as a way to give thanks to our great mother. It was then consumed as a sacred drink to deepen the connection to the heart, foster unity with ancestors, and strengthen bonds with the cosmos.
For the Maya, cacao is also a powerful plant for healing, helping to create and strengthen social and communal ties - a tradition that continues to this day.
With the same love and respect, ceremonial cacao is shared in communities and offered during ceremonies to honour the energies of creation. It serves as a sacred bridge between humanity, nature, and the divine.
With every cup, ceremonial cacao opens the heart chakra, inviting you to connect more deeply with your true essence and the loving forces of the universe. It empowers self-love, one sip at a time.
Read more about our Cacao Ceremonies.
Bring Alta Verapaz Home
THE LAND
The Highlands of Alta Verapaz
Misty cloud forest in the highlands of Guatemala, where she grows beneath the rainforest canopy in deep biodiversity.
Questions about Alta Verapaz Cacao
She is grown in the misty highlands of Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, a cloud-forest region the Q’eqchi’ Maya have honoured as sacred for thousands of years.
Q’eqchi’ and Pocomchì Maya family farmers, through FEDECOVERA, one of Guatemala’s leading indigenous cooperatives, which unites over 25,000 farmers and gives them access to healthcare, housing, low or zero-interest loans, and training.
Ripe cherries, cardamom and a gentle spice. Her energy is intense, energising and heart-opening, a cacao with real presence.
She is Acriollado, a natural blend of ancient native Criollo genetics with subtle Trinitario notes, grown beneath the rainforest canopy.
Yes. This is 100% pure, ceremonial-grade cacao, grown through biodiverse, sustainable agroforestry that protects the rainforest and the traditions of the communities who tend her.
Explore Our Other Origins
Each origin carries her own spirit. Discover Maya Mountain, Belize and Lachua, Guatemala, or return to our cacao origins overview.
With Love & Reciprocity
We pay a direct and fair premium above market value to honour the craftsmanship of these indigenous farming families, supporting the continuation of this sacred lineage of cacao. With sourcing supported by our trusted partners who work directly at the farm-gate, every step of this journey is guided by integrity, reciprocity, and reverence. Even when we are not physically present, our partners serve as guardians of our shared values.
Cultivated by families whose lives intertwine with the spirit of the land, our cacao holds the essence of community, resilience, and the hope of a future rooted in respect, for Earth, for culture, and for one another.
Every sip is an invitation. A remembrance. A reconnection to your own sacred journey.
With gratitude to the energies of Mother Earth and the loving hands that tend this gift, we welcome you into ceremony.