Maya Mountain Cacao (MMC) operates in the southern districts of Toledo and Stann Creek, working with more than 400 smallholder organic farms of one to five acres, nurturing cacao trees amidst hardwoods and fruit crops like banana, coconut, and mango.

Around three-quarters of these farms belong to Q’eqchi’ and Mopan Maya families, who have cultivated cacao for generations and continue to uphold this heritage through mixed agroforestry systems that sustain both biodiversity and household resilience.

Once harvested, fresh beans—or “wet cacao”—are directly collected by MMC. Handling beans while still in their mucilage allow them to control the delicate stages of fermentation and drying at their centralized facility. These steps, often too resource-intensive for individual farmers, are carried out with precision to unlock the full potential of flavor and avoid defective notes. Afterward, beans are hand-sorted, packed, and prepared for export to makers such as Herbal Cacao.

According to MMC, this model benefits farmers by relieving them of the most complex aspects of post-harvest processing while securing them added value for their crops. For MMC, it ensures scale, consistency, and the capacity to deliver cacao that has become a benchmark for fine flavor.

It’s always a pleasure to return to this cacao, particularly as we have the chance to compare it with profiles we compiled from other harvests, appreciating both continuity and subtle evolution across seasons.