The integrity behind the buzzword
Ceremonial cacao. Everyone’ s talking about it. Last year we were microdosing mushrooms, this year... we’ re at a cacao ceremony. But, spoiler alert, all is not as it might seem. Steve Martin, who has lived closely with cacao farmers in Colombia for seven years, tells us why he’ s so discerning about ceremonial cacao
In recent years, ceremonial cacao has exploded in popularity— appearing in wellness spaces, spiritual ceremonies, and retreats around the world. But as demand has grown, so too has confusion. What actually makes cacao“ ceremonial”? And how can you tell the difference between a sacred plant medicine and a commodity wrapped in spiritual branding?
This is the heart of the issue: cacao labeled as ceremonial is increasingly sold at prices that don’ t reflect the labor, love, and land stewardship required to produce it with true integrity. In many cases, what’ s marketed as“ ceremonial” has been grown, processed, and traded through the same industrial channels as commercial chocolate.
After seven years living in Colombia— immersed in a cacao-focused communities— I’ ve come to understand just how much care it takes to bring true ceremonial cacao into the world.
Today, I steward five acres of land in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, planting a biodiverse food forest rooted in permaculture principles, and continue learning from both Indigenous wisdom and regenerative practice.
In my journey, I’ ve been deeply inspired by the work of Akasha, a coffee and cacao farm and a permaculture school in the highlands of Santander, Colombia. They grow and process their own cacao with incredible attention to both ecological balance and spiritual integrity. At Akasha, cacao is cultivated through regenerative agroforestry: interplanted with native species, guided by ancestral knowledge and scientific insight, and processed in small batches with love and precision. Their cacao is alive with intention— a direct expression of care for the Earth and reverence for the plant.
By contrast, most cacao on the global market is cultivated for volume, not vitality. Grown in monocultures, traded in bulk, and stripped of its connection to land and lineage, it often ends up in the same supply chains as industrial chocolate. This kind of production is not only spiritually disconnected— it’ s environmentally and socially harmful.
Producing ceremonial-grade cacao is a long-term commitment. It can take five years of tending before a tree produces fruit suitable for ritual use. Farmers working in this way are not just growing a product— they’ re regenerating ecosystems, protecting biodiversity, and preserving cultural practices passed down through generations.
That’ s why price matters. High-integrity cacao costs more— not because it’ s elitist, but because it reflects the true cost of care. When cacao is offered at £ 27 per kilo and still labeled as“ ceremonial,” it raises questions. Is it truly regenerative? Was it grown in living soil? Was it processed in small batches with love— or by machines in bulk? Was the land respected? Were the stewards well compensated?
This is not a judgment, but an invitation to inquire more deeply. If cacao is to be used in sacred spaces, it deserves sacred sourcing. When we trace cacao back to its origins— to the soil, the farmers, the forest— our relationship with it transforms. It becomes not just a drink, but a transmission of Earth’ s intelligence and human devotion.
Akasha is one example— but there are others too. Across Colombia and beyond, people are reclaiming cacao as a sacred ally and working with it in alignment with the principles of regenerative agriculture, agroforestry, and ethical trade. These are the stories we need to amplify.
Because in a world hungry for meaning, ceremonial cacao offers more than a moment of calm— it offers a path back to relationship: with the Earth, with ourselves, and with the communities that keep these traditions alive.
If this speaks to something in you— a curiosity, a deeper call— I warmly invite you to come and experience it for yourself. Come visit us in Colombia. Walk the land. Taste the difference. Witness the care. Cacao, when grown with love, becomes more than a product. It becomes a prayer.
l To learn more, visit www. akashacacao. com