WHAT IS CEREMONIAL CACAO?
Ceremonial cacao… what is it, really?
In short, ceremonial cacao is cacao in its wholeness — grown with care, shared with reciprocity, and received with presence.
Energetically speaking, ceremonial cacao isn’t just something you drink — it’s a way of remembering who you are.
Before we dive into the nitty gritty, let’s get the myth out of the way: “ceremonial cacao” isn’t a certification or a legal label. It’s a term that describes the integrity, care, and intention with which the cacao is grown, prepared, and consumed.
So, what exactly does it look like when it comes to sourcing, preparing and enjoying cacao?
From Cacao Fruit to Cacao Paste
Let’s start at the very beginning — the cacao fruit.
Cacao trees grow the most vibrant pods — orange, red, yellow — filled with a juicy white pulp and the seeds we call cacao beans. Farmers – in the case of WANA HEY we’re talking about small family farms that steward the original wild-strain cacao trees – carefully harvest the pods, scoop out the beans, ferment them (this is where the flavor magic begins), dry them, sometimes lightly roast them, and then grind them by hand or in stone machines until they become cacao paste.
That paste is the heart of ceremonial cacao.
Cacao Paste, Butter, and Powder
Most ceremonial cacao is made from 100% cacao paste. Think of it as the whole food — cacao in its pure, intact, very minimally processed form. From this paste, you can technically separate the fat (cacao butter) and the solids (cacao powder). That’s what the commercial chocolate industry usually does: break cacao apart, process it heavily, then reassemble it with sugar, milk powder, and other additives. Often, cacao butter and powder come from different sources.
The result is a highly processed product that’s worlds away from the original “food of the gods.”
Ceremonial cacao, on the other hand, stays close to its whole form. Its integrity is preserved.
Single-origin cacao is also key. Instead of powder from one continent, butter from another, and ingredients gathered across years and supply chains, you’re receiving cacao from one place, one season, one community of farmers. The energy of that land is still alive in it.
What Makes Cacao Ceremonial?
Ceremonial cacao isn’t a certification or a legal label. It’s a term that describes the integrity, care, and intention with which the cacao is grown, prepared, and consumed.
At its best, ceremonial cacao comes from wild or native strains, grown without pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, or hybrid modifications. It’s cultivated by farmers who have stewarded the land for generations, often using regenerative or biodynamic practices.
And just as important — it’s consumed with intention. It’s an invitation to slow down, to drop into presence, to connect with yourself, your creativity, or a community gathered in circle.
WANA HEY: Our Take on Ceremony
At the heart of WANA HEY is a rare, ceremonial-grade cacao: wild strain, single-origin, and sourced directly from small family farms in the Piura region of Northern Peru.
Every step of the way — from the soil to your cup — is tended with care.
WANA HEY is made in collaboration with local communities: we work directly with small family farms in Piura, supporting practices that are rooted in respect for the environment, local wisdom, and clean cultivation.
Through hands-on partnerships, we support micro-lot fermentation and sun drying techniques that preserve the cacao's original flavor profile, energetic imprint, and sacred potency. This approach allows us to work with the rhythms of the harvest, keeping production intentionally small so that each spiral and rose you receive holds the depth and richness of place.
The WANA HEY recipe is also unique: we blend ceremonial cacao paste with Andean lucuma (for creaminess), rose (for the heart), a touch of unrefined coconut sugar, and sea salt. The result is smooth, balanced, and delicious — it makes our ceremonial cacao easy to drink without adding anything else. It’s also the only ceremonial cacao we’re aware of that you can enjoy both as a warm drink and as melt-in-your-mouth chocolate.
Texture as Transmission
Texture is one of cacao’s love languages. When it’s refined and tempered with care, you feel it — silky, smooth, and embracing. At WANA HEY, that softness is intentional: it mirrors the way cacao invites us to soften into ourselves.
Cacao as a Mirror
Cacao meets you where you are. If you come rushing, she slows you down. If you arrive heavy, she holds you. If you come open, she amplifies your joy. That’s part of what makes her ceremonial: the plant doesn’t just nourish you — she reflects you.
Ceremony Is How You Meet It
Ceremonial cacao is as much about how you meet it as how it’s made. You don’t need a shaman or a script. Simply preparing it slowly, whisking with attention, and drinking it with presence is enough. That’s the heart of ceremony.
For thousands of years, cacao has been honored as a sacred plant — a messenger between the human and the divine, a gift of the earth to open our hearts. Today, we have a chance to return to that remembering.
✨ So, what is ceremonial cacao?
Ceremonial cacao is cacao in its wholeness — grown with care, shared with reciprocity, and received with presence.
