Like all stories, or at least my stories anyways, there is a simple version and the magical version.  I suppose it is much like cacao itself, cacao could just be the delicious treat you know and love, or it could be a powerful ally and guide in this journey we call life.  

Origen Cacao was started when I couldn’t find any quality chocolate in Colombia, even though the whole world knew that Colombia grew some of the finest beans in the world.  I was in Colombia after some major transition and trauma in my life, and had nothing better to do.  It was just so beautiful and amazing here, I wanted to stay, and therefore needed something to do, a project to give me reason for being here.  

So I explored and learned and studied.  Amazing how the power of Google enables us to be whatever we want to be if we want to.  I made friends and made some unremarkable chocolate.  Slowly, I made a home here, learned to craft amazing chocolate, and found a community and purpose as well. 

Many folks ask me about the spirit of cacao, how I would describe her.  They ask about my relationship to cacao, and I integrate it with my life.  I think better to tell you about Esther, because to me she is the embodiment of the spirit of cacao. 

Esther is from the Arhuaco tribe of the Sierra Nevada, and I met her and her husband early on in my journey here in Colombia and early in my learnings about plant medicine.  It was through her and her husband that I learned about the spiritual practices of the tribe, and how they cared for their cacao and the land.  The first couple hundred kilos from their farm wasn’t fermented well, so I learned and they learned and we ended up with such a beautiful bean.  Esther was a very shy woman, but we became friends as she learned to make chocolate in my factory.  I invited them and the children to live with me on the farm I purchased, and we learned to live as a community right here in Barbosa.  

Through the years, now more than 5, we have shared this beautiful land, I have taught her about running a business and making chocolate, I try to teach the kids English though I am a terrible teacher, and they have taught me more than I can describe.  

Esther is a beautiful, practical, and simple woman, who cares deeply about this beautiful earth, and all its creatures, and will fiercely protect all that she cares about.  She is a constant and steady support and I couldn’t do any of this without her.  Just like the spirit of cacao, she is a trusted companion, a guide, a mother, a friend.  

Looking towards the future, we are hoping to transition soon to bigger land, where we can work on protecting more of this amazing planet and create more opportunities for our community.