FAIRTRADE, DELICIOUS, ORGANIC CACAO BEANS
food of the gods
Cacao or Kakaw as pronounced in the Mayan language was consumed by the Mesoamerican peoples as early as 5,300 years ago.
The Mexica people considered it the gift of Quetzalcoatl, the God of Wisdom, while the Maya had their own God, Ek Chuaj who was the patron of Cacao. Ek Chuaj was also the God of Merchants and cacao beans were used as a currency throughout the region.
The Aztec Empire collected a tribute of 980 cacaoxiquipilli “bean loads” per annum, and each of these special loads had exactly 8000 beans. 80-100 beans could buy you a new cloth mantle.
Cacao was a real money tree! Brought to Europe by the Dominicans, it is one flavour that has conquered the world.
GROWING
cacao tree
It takes 3 to 5 years for a cacao tree to start producing its oblong sacred fruit. They have one pollinator: the midge. This is a gnat-like minuscule fly that is small enough to reach the base of the flower.
The natural environment of the Cacao Tree is the rainforest climate, mainly because its pollinator likes it there. In plantations, pests can destroy entire plantations, and that’s why many organisations are promoting organic methods of growing cacao. And that’s why we source our organic certified cacao beans from Dominican Republic Nicaragua. The producers are fair-traded Co-op Farms.
PAYING HOMAGE TO THE CACAO BEAN
organic cacao beans
The cacao tree has 3 key varieties criollo, forastero and trinitario. Our organic cacao beans belong to the criollo-trinitario hybrid variety. As the cacao seeds are recalcitrant, which means they cannot be freeze-dried, it is important that biodiversity in the cacao species is maintained. Organic growing methods are employed by patient farmers.