CEREMONIAL CACAO | mayan ancestral

Flavor profile : Fruity and acidic, semi bitter, extra nutty, notes of cherry and anise.

Region: This cacao was harvested from the Suchitepéquez Mountains of the Guatemalan Pacific front: the largest area of cacao forests in Central America during Pre-Columbian times. For millennia, the art of agriculture and hybridization was mastered in these mountains.

Farmers: Mama Amor is managed by a woman’s collective called Nuevo Amanecer with 12 women. The collective was formed in 2013 by Odilia, with the help of an association in Panajachel, to support women of her community with professional activity. At first Nuevo Amanecer was focused on weaving, but slowly re-oriented their activity towards Cacao culture and transformation.

Profile: Through generations of alchemy, this cacao’s flavor has been crafted to be fruity, acidic, rich in fats, and offer caramel bittersweet aromas typical to fermented ceremonial grade cacao. Mama amor tastes extra fruity and acidic, probably thanks to the unique fermentation technique (5 days in a basket with banana leaves without moving) that the collective still uses as a local tradition.

Flavor: Balanced, light fruity bitterness, smooth notes of vanilla and a touch of citrus.

Region: This cacao is grown in the mountain region of Alta Verapaz, close to the famous waterfalls of Semuc Champey, and at the mouth of the Lanquin River.

Farmers: This ancestral cacao is the product of "Tuqtuquilal", a regenerative center that uses reforestation to empower cacao. The collective is focusing on the exchange of information to develop sustainable living solutions for the benefit of the local Q’eqchi community and visitors alike. The center is a start-up “not for profit” that grows cacao, without the use of agrochemicals. In 2019, the project empowered the creation of a cooperative of farmers gathering about 60 families in the area.

The collective’s focus on breed selection allows them to distribute highly aromatic criollo hybrid beans that are carefully fermented, dried, selected, and processed without the use of electricity.

Flavor : Intense bitterness, creamy, earthy, notes of coffee.

Region: Suchitepequez. The farm is divided in several areas and gathers 78 cuerdas in total. Most of it is surrounded by semi wild fruit forests, covering the abrupt little valleys tearing the surrounding landscape.

There grows coffee, bananas, mangos, avocados, breadfruit, Kaymito, cane, zapotioll, palo banco.

The land counts 4 springs and several rivers, especially in the rainy seasons.

It is divided between 3 valleys.

Farmers: Byron and his family, his wife Dora and their 2 children, take care of the fermenting and drying of the beans from their home in Patulul, a close by little town. Byron also makes his own artisan Cacao paste and sells it in the streets of San Marcos to diversify his activities. He also works with cheese and honey farmers.

Entre Nubes means 'Between Clouds´ which represents the meaning of Coban and its region in Alta Verapaz, a lush treeitory between mountains and clouds.

The Origin Entre Nubes is produced by a collective under the name FEDECOVERA. Located in the north of Guatemala, FEDECOVERA is a Federation of Cooperatives or second level Cooperative, founded in 1976 made up of 42 first level Cooperatives that in turn are made up of small producers, consequently, FEDECOVERA is owned by small producers organized in First level cooperatives; which makes our business model unique, which integrates social, economic, environmental and inclusive sustainability.

The cacao trees of the small associated producers contain ancestral genetic material originating in the Mayan culture, producing a finely aromatic cocoa bean, which we call “Acriollado” for its unique blend of Creole and Trinidadian beans from the cob, cultivated under agroforestry with an organic approach, cacao plantations are in association with forest spices of high commercial value, which guarantees better income and a positive impact to conserve biodiversity.

“Panan” comes from the vocable “Pa Nana” which means “for the mother” from the Tz'utujil “Nana” for the mother or the woman space holder.

Neighbor to Chicacao this village was probably an ancient place of devotion to the sacred feminine, before colonization. The Name “for the mother” in an ancestral Cacao producing region lets us guess that in ancient times there may have been certain altars and ceremonies specially dedicated to feminin and motherly entities in the area. As it was often times the case in Cacao forest in that region, were cacao was commonly associated with goddess figures.

Farmers: Jose Luis Ovalle, Alba Laeticia and their daughters Alba Dalila and Mariza Maribel are our main contacts from this family collective. The family owns two medium parcels nearby the village, in the middle of a big patchwork of small parcels owned by many different families. They have a beautiful understanding of social ecology and its issues in the region. We believe they could have a great influence and play a role of exemple in their neighborhood. And that is why we decided to start supporting them. Also in the hope of supporting more farmers around them, before they are tempted to sell their lands to the monocrop industries.