Latin America is widely known as the birthplace of Cacao Tree (Theobroma). Thousands of years ago, chocolate was a big secret, only a few people drank it and nobody ate it. The first chocolate drinkers were farmers who lived in the rainforest in Central America, which was home to the small cacao tree. Monkeys liked to break them open and suck out the sweet, white pulp, and, then they spat out the bitter beans. Cacao made its way to the famers who noticed a delicious smell drifting up from a pile of rotting beans. They later discovered a way to capture this smell into a drink by fermenting the beans for a few days under banana leaves, putting the out to dry in the sun, roasting, grinding into a paste and stirring in water and spices. Mayans called this drink Chocol Haa (“bitter water”) and Aztecs named it Xocolatl.Cacao was revered by the Mayans and the Aztecs for its medicinal properties and was used as currency and as offerings for religious ceremonies. Ceremonial-grade cacao is a superfood. It is made by fermenting and lightly toasting or sun-drying the beans, then peeling the husks and stone-grinding them down to create a paste. Unlike conventional cacao or cocoa powder, ceremonial cacao has not been defatted and is minimally processed to maximize its health benefits.

Cacao is rich in potent minerals (such as iron, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, zinc, copper, sulfur, manganese, selenium, etc) and polyphenol antioxidants (flavonols.) It increases blood flow to the brain, makes your energy last longer, stimulates the release of serotonin, dopamine and endorphins and contains anti-inflammatory properties. It contains very little caffeine and instead is high in theobromine – a stimulant that is very gentle on the nervous system, helps boost your mood, alleviate anxiety and reduce stress, lower blood pressure, aid digestion. Cacao also slows the signs of aging, reduces the risk of diabetes, and prevents heart disease.