FAQ

KAKAO is made from native cacao beans sourced from native lands.

KAKAO is made using the whole bean.

KAKAO is minimally processed using traditional methods.

KAKAO is crafted with intention & integrity during every step of the process.

Please read the following link here for our more in depth definition.

Please read our preparation guide in full here.

KAKAO is never pressed, conched, or tempered, meaning if it is exposed to high temperatures, like those found in the summer months or those of traditionally warmer climates, the cacao butter in KAKAO will melt. Once cooled (brought inside or shaded), the cacao butter will re-solidify forming a hardened mass similar to a cacao block.

If this happens, we assure you, your KAKAO is still in 100% perfect condition and safe to enjoy. If KAKAO shows up on your doorstep melted and/or hardened, you have a few easy options:

Option 1: Slice off a few pieces using a kitchen knife and use a kitchen scale to weigh out 40-50 grams. Prepare as normal.

Option 2: Chop well (mince) with a kitchen knife. Prepare as normal with 4-5 tbsp.

Option 3: Place the solidified chunks into a food processor and pulverize it into a powder. Prepare as normal.

Please note: we cannot replace product that has melted and hardened as it is a natural process and is completely safe to consume. Thank you for your understanding.

While we do know many moms who have safely drank KAKAO throughout their entire pregnancy, as well as during breastfeeding, we as a company cannot make recommendations as to what is safe for you and your baby during these times. 

We of course always encourage anyone to check in with their intuition, in addition to inquiring with a licensed, holistic medical professional that you trust. 

With all of this said, if you have been told that cacao is safe for you during pregnancy and/or breastfeeding, we feel very confident that KAKAO is a brand that can be trusted as the highest quality. KAKAO exceeds the standards for both mold and heavy metal levels that are set by regulating authorities.

Please read our guide here.

Ceremonial-grade cacao is a naturally occurring source of caffeine. Caffeine content fluctuates between the varietal of cacao being used and the region from which that varietal is sourced. On average, a cup of ceremonial-grade cacao contains about 1/2 to 3/4 the amount of caffeine found in a cup of black coffee.

Our native Cacao Chuncho is harvested from small, family-owned and operated, wild cacao farms in the jungles of Peru. Because our farmers cannot afford organic certification, our product is not certified organic. That being said, we can assure you that these heirloom trees are never sprayed with any herbicides, fungicides, pesticides, or toxic fertilizers. The cacao trees that produce our KAKAO are found growing in their natural habitat, deep in the jungle (rather than on man-made farms or estates).

There really is no such thing as 'raw cacao,' in our humble opinion. While 'raw cacao powder’ has become somewhat of a trend in the health-food world, here's why we think the use of the word 'raw' here is a bit of a flawed premise.

All cacao beans are fermented prior to being transformed into chocolate, even 'raw' cacao beans. During the fermentation process, temperatures can reach anywhere between 120 to 130 degrees Fahrenheit over a duration of 2-7 days. A traditional raw food diet is all about preparing foods without heating them above 42 degrees Celsius, or 115 degrees Fahrenheit. The most fragile enzymes in food start to denature around the 42C/115F degree mark. As you can see, even when cacao beans are only fermented prior to being processed into chocolate, they're still not technically 'raw.' In addition, this 'raw cacao' is still being heated again at the conching and tempering stage.

While the cacao beans we use are fermented and roasted, they are never pressed, conched, or tempered. Although KAKAO is not 'raw,' it is minimally processed using traditional methods. Once fermented and roasted, our beans are stone ground into a paste where they're mixed with our Signature ingredients. This is where our processing ends, ensuring that the most nutrients are conserved as possible.

‘Raw Cacao Powder’ is a derivative of the cacao bean, one that's been separated from the cacao butter, making it an easy addition to smoothies and healthy desserts. Our KAKAO, however, is much different. KAKAO uses the whole cacao bean, meaning all cocoa butter is still present and intact.

A few other other distinct differences:

1. We source Chuncho beans from Peru and Criollo beans from Guatemala. These are both strains of cacao that are native to Central and South America. Most companies do not elaborate on which strains of cacao they source because they either don't know or don't care enough to find out for themselves. We avoid all man-made, hybrid, or genetically altered strains and our mission as a non-profit is to help save the native strains of cacao that are currently endangered due to cross-pollination and commercialization.

2. We do not use any commercial processing equipment when creating KAKAO. A traditional stone grinder is used to create our drinking chocolate from the whole cacao beans.

3. We handle every step in the supply chain with intention, integrity, and respect for all involved. 

We travel with KAKAO all the time! We weight out 4-5 tbsp in a sachet before we go so that the measuring is already done. We bring insulated keep-cups and this amazing electric mixer that can be brought on a plane. Check it out here.

We always include the energy/blessing description (or a link to the description) on the product page.

We will always post on Instagram @kakaodrinkingchocolate when new editions are created.

Our KAKAO recipe never changes, however because we use native, organic, unaltered cacao beans, there will be some natural differences in the earthiness, creaminess, cacao butter-content, etc. based on the season & climate. No two cacao pods are the same, just as the beans inside those pods are all different from one another.

Large chocolate-making corporations go to great extent to ensure their beans and products taste exactly the same every time, typically at the sacrifice of the cacao beans themselves. KAKAO 501c3 non-profit is committed to purchasing native beans from small family farms, and keeping both unadulterated in any way.

Feel free to play with the KAKAO you receive to make it your own. You may consider adding your own chile powder, vanilla extract, coconut oil, maca powder, cinnamon, lucuma, or other superfoods.

We offer two types of cacao, both native and ceremonial-grade:

1. KAKAO SIGNATURE BLEND: We source Chuncho beans from Peru and create them into a pure paste using traditional stone grinding methods. We then add in the following ingredients to make your life easier: Panela (organic unrefined sugar from Peru), Ground Peruvian Vanilla Beans (fresh from the jungles of Peru) and Organic Chile Powder (also fresh from Peru). When you receive this blend, you can add it to the blender with hot water and a bit of coconut oil (optional but deliciously creamy), and that's it!

2. KAKAO PURE: Same as above, just without the panela, vanilla and chile! This way, you get to choose what ingredients you add and how much of each. You will receive our pure cacao paste, that has been pulverized into a granular product for easy scooping and measuring.

We do create Cacao Paste/Blocks, however we take it one simple step further to make your life easier.

Our process:

1. We take WHOLE cacao beans and put them through a traditional stone grinder.

2. A paste comes out!

3. For our signature 'Blend' we add and mix in our 3 core ingredients (Panela, Chile, & Vanilla Beans) into the Paste.

4. Instead of drying our KAKAO Pure or KAKAO Blend into a block form and selling it to you as a block, we place the broken up chunks of paste into a food processor and pulverize it into a powder to create a product that is easy for you to use in your every day life.

PLEASE NOTE: We do not alter, change, or omit any part of the cacao bean. We created this innovative process so that you don't have to do all the block chopping in your kitchen.

When stored appropriately, our KAKAO lasts up to 1 year after opening.

STORAGE recommendation:

For extended shelf life & ultimate freshness, we highly recommend keeping your KAKAO in ziplock bags or air tight containers, inside of the fridge.

Please note, KAKAO Ceremonial Drinking Chocolate is not liable for negatively impacted product due to poor storage conditions.

Thank you for your interest in sharing KAKAO within your community.

At this time, we are not hosting KAKAO facilitator training programs.

In the future, we may open up specialized facilitator training programs for those that wish to introduce KAKAO to corporations and/or large and small businesses. If and when that time comes, we will announce such offerings on our website, through email, and our our social media pages for those interested to apply.

Yes, we sell 5lb bulk bags here.

For mid-size & larger groups we suggest you use the following:

    * Large stockpot (or several medium-large saucepans)

    * High Quality Immersion Blender: Click here for example

    * A countertop scale to measure 40 grams (or 4 tbsp) of KAKAO per person


    * 7oz of water per person (can be heated in stockpot or using hot-water kettles)


    * Optional: Coconut Oil (few spoonfuls depending on the size of group)

    * 8oz Biodegradable paper cups: Here is an Amazon link for reference.

    * Wooden spoons. Click here for example.

    * Ladle for scooping the KAKAO in cups or a pitcher to easily pour into cups.

If there is a stovetop to keep the KAKAO hot, you can prepare the KAKAO beforehand and heat it on stove before people arrive!

If no stovetop, you can either purchase a portable electric stove OR simply use hot-water kettles very shortly before people arrive.

Pro tip: weigh the KAKAO before arriving to the venue.

Directions:

Weight and measure the KAKAO (40g x the number of people attending)

Measure the water (7oz x the number of people attending)

Add the weighed KAKAO to your large stockpot

Add the appropriate amount of hot water (another way to do this is to pour the hot water into the large stockpot one cup (7oz) at a time)

Thoroughly mix with the immersion blender

Ladle blended KAKAO into cups for attendees

Enjoy!

Click here to learn more about creating your own KAKAO practice.

Welcome people into the space.

Introduce yourself (who you are, what you do, why you're here).

Introduce your guests to cacao (what it is, where it comes from, why you work with it).

Introduce KAKAO (our company, why you source from us, what makes us different).

Invite your attendees to close their eyes and tune into their intention.

Invite them to welcome the KAKAO into their hearts.

Open with a prayer and/or blessing of gratitude and thanks.

Invite people to share their intention, why they're there, what's on their hearts.

We curate a playlist for the monthly batch blessings on Spotify here.

This comes from the heart! Personal invites are best. Share that you are creating a space for connection. If you are hosting this ceremony with a specific intention in mind, share about it! You may feel called to share why you are creating this space in your community and/or why you feel called to invite that particular person.

Cacao ceremonies can be one-on-one, say with you and your close friend, or they can be for a group. There is no right or wrong way to go about it. If you listen to your intuition and speak from your heart, you can't go wrong.

Please look for your country on this page to determine which fulfillment center services your country.

Add your products to the cart on the relevant website and go to check out. You will be given shipping options and costs prior to completing your order.

If your country doesn't seem available, please email us at support@flykakao.com

Australia, New Zealand & Asia: www.flykakao.com.au

Canada:  www.flykakao.ca

Europe & UK: www.flykakao.co.uk

USA & Rest of World: www.flykakao.com

At this time, we only sell KAKAO Ceremonial Drinking Chocolate online.

To order for any other country:

Australia & New Zealand - www.flykakao.com.au

Canada - www.flykakao.ca

Europe & UK - www.flykakao.co.uk

*EU distribution launching July, 2022!

Although the likelihood of this occurring is rare, we have implemented Route Shipping Insurance for your peace of mind. 

You can opt in to purchase insurance at checkout (fee is 1-2% of your total cart cost) to protect you in the unlikely event that something does go wrong between your KAKAO leaving our fulfillment center and reaching your doorstep.

In the case that your package is missing or has been damaged, our team will do everything possible to assist and make sure that your KAKAO makes its way to you! With that said, if you opt out of insurance, we are unable to replace or refund you for any shipping related incidents unless it was the fault of our fulfillment center/our team.

Currently, we do not offer an affiliate program. 

As a nonprofit, we desire people to work with KAKAO because they are genuinely inspired to, not because they stand to profit from it. When our loyal customers share KAKAO with their communities, it's because their lives have been genuinely impacted by KAKAO. The last thing we want to do is dilute that genuineness by associating it with any kind of financial gain.

We also source native strain cacao Chuncho beans which are purchased at a much higher market price than most other commercially available cacao. Because we choose to fairly compensate our farmers, we do not have the margins to support an affiliate program. Our goal is always to make the purest, highest-quality ceremonial-grade cacao available to our customers at the most affordable price possible. No games and no gimmicks. Any profits we make we give back to the famers and their communities in Peru, ensuring that we're able to continue our business and what we love now and into the future.