Keith's Cacao

— Through its vivid connection to the plant, Keith’s Cacao spreads the beans’ magic, while supporting an inherited local craft.

Keith’s Cacao is a Guatemala-based brand.

Their main office, as well as their cacao taller (spanish for ‘workshop’) are located in San Marcos de la Laguna, Guatemala.
It was founded by Keith Wilson, the first Westerner who began working with Cacao as a plant-medicine back in 2003.

Cacao Guide

Keith's Cacao

"Great care and knowledge from the community, coupled to native cacao varieties as well as rich « local hybrid » varieties is a recipe for success."

N.B. : This article contains an affiliate link and a 5% discount code available for a first purchase. These advantages are here to compensate the time and work we put in our project. Yet, we’re dedicated to staying objective in our analyses.
Enjoy them if you want to try new cacaos while supporting us 🙂

The origins

Keith Wilson’s cacao journey started with his own inner work and healing practice. After experiencing a true call from the Cacao Spirit, he engaged in a successful quest for potent cacao beans. Going from small farms to local markets in Guatemala, he tested numerous samples before finding the one that would fully reveal the plant’s potential.

He then experimented with closed ones and members of his community, offering cups of cacao while guiding practices and workshops oriented towards inner work and intuitive processing.

After tasting the delicious fruit of his collaboration with cacao, it became clear to him that it needed to be shared, far and wide, so that this very support could gently spread.
The brand was born, and so was the term « ceremonial cacao » that he coined back in the day.

Although there’s no official record of it, neither is there a competition, this history makes it the first « brand » to properly sell this grade of cacao paste on a large scale.

The word « ceremonial » implies the purposeful use of cacao. Aware of its Mesoamerican cultural heritage, Keith approached cacao from a different angle, with the aim of sharing its benefits with anybody who felt the call. This meaning of ceremony then applies to new ways of exploring what cacao has to offer, without replacing or copying the existing inherited practices.

Calling this cacao ceremonial also helped Keith’s Cacao differentiate from the immense variety of poorly treated cacao that can be found in every grocery store. It clarified their positioning as a brand offering an experience, while attesting the product’s premium quality.

The « Chocolate Shaman » was a nickname affectionately given to him because of his knowledge and dedicated work with cacao, as well as for his instrumental work in spreading cacao’s magic. It stuck to him and, in a way, represents his devotion to the plant.

An insightful process

Acknowledging and respecting the traditions is a staple for Keith’s Cacao. They are established in the Kaqchikel Mayan community of San Marcos, and this isn’t just a privileged location.

As a matter of fact, they process and transform beans following the ancient wisdom and traditions that have been passed on through generations in the community. We dive deeper into their technique in this dedicated article.

Great care and knowledge from the community, coupled to native cacao varieties as well as rich « local hybrid » varieties is a recipe for success.

This ends up in a flavorful and incredibly potent drink,

Since the beginning, the brand has been offering the « same » cacao, meaning beans roughly come from the same places and paste is done in the same traditional way.

Locals, men and women from the Kaqchikel community, compose the major part of Keith’s on-site crew and handle the different steps in the making process.

Sharing cacao's wisdom

Other than pure cacao paste and hand-peeled beans, the brand is renowned for transmitting the benefits and wisdom of cacao through their own prism.

They hold several training programs destined to those who’d like to work with cacao, they facilitate ceremonies and workshops, as well as retreats turned towards deepening one’s own practice with cacao.

The intent is clear, sharing is at the heart of Keith’s service.

What's next

Now that we’ve approached Keith’s process and purpose, it’s time to go deeper in understanding why what they make is so special. And this goes with experimenting their cacao!

We’ll gather our taste and effects feedbacks in a dedicated article, aiming to profile this cacao properly.

And as a final word, an abstract of Keith’s Cacao’s mission, in their own terms :

« Providing the world with a connection to cacao plant medicine is our passion. With no additions, no chemicals, and no loss of quality, our 100% pure, Ceremonial Grade Cacao is here to open your heart, focus your mind, and energize your spirit to Bring on Your Magic! »

If you’d like to experiment with Keith’s potent cacao, enjoy 5% off your first order with our code : CACAOINSIGHTS.