Kakao Retreat

• Comfortable, light colour clothes
• Your Journal, pen
• Something sacred to you that has a special meaning to you to offer at the beginning of the ceremony.
• An open heart and mind

The earliest evidence of cacao used by humans dates back to 3300 BC in the land now called Ecuador. Indigenous people from the Amazon first cultivated, carried, and traded until reaching the hands of the Mayans and Aztecs. In the 20th Century, Cacao is roughly divided into three generic groups; Criollo, Forestero and Trinitario. However, the genetic lineage of these groups traces back to the fourth branch of the cacao tree, which is found only in Ecuador and Peru – the Nacional tree. This rare, legendary variety called “Arriba Nacional”, the first known cacao tree domesticated by humanity.

The term Nacional refers to ancient cacao genetics that has been cultivated in Ecuador for thousands of years by indigenous people in the Amazonian jungles of the Andes. Arriba Nacional is the most ancient and rarified tree and is considered among the world’s most delicate flavour aromatic strains of cacao. It has a vibrant and smooth flavour due to its superior, solid and unique floral and fruity aroma.

Our cacao, KURI FINE CACAO, comes from the Ecuadorian Amazon, home of the rarest, highest-quality beans in the world cultivated by Kichwa indigenous. It is produced from Native Ecuadorian Cacao Strain, “Arriba Nacional”. Native meaning it’s found growing naturally, in the wild, without human interaction/cultivation. This variety is native to Ecuador and is generally regarded as the most notable and desired cacao variety globally. This strain is also the most concentrated in the compounds necessary for ceremonial use.

KURI Fine Cacao is sourced exclusively from heirloom Nacional Cacao by Kichwa people devoted to cultivating the highest quality fine cacao. The connection of KURI FINE CACAO to its origin transcends the final product itself in its Ceremonial grade and Fine chocolate that makes our products unique and special.

Amazonian Kichwa were the only indigenous group in the province to survive the Spanish conquest and have retained their customs and way of life. Inhabiting the Ecuadorian Amazon, Amazonian Kichwas have a strong connection with the forest and the animals that live among them. They believe humans, plants, and animals all have spirits and are almost regarded as equals. The spirits of plants are essential because the well-being of a community depends on a healthy relationship with nature.

Kichwa people still continue to cultivate their cacao in the rainforest and other plants such as wild vanilla, guayusa, banana, yucca, sacha inchi, and many other tropical fruits and plants associated within their local farms called “chakras”. Then they gather their cacao in their “centro de acopio” to ferment, dry and process.

After spending a vast amount of time each year for almost a decade with Kichwa people on their land, we’ve built strong relationships with these indigenous communities who organically grow and harvest cacao on small farms. KURI Fine Cacao is sourced exclusively from heirloom Nacional Cacao by Kichwa people devoted to cultivating the highest quality fine cacao. We make sure our beans are organically grown in harmony with the earth, fairly and direct traded and promote sustainability, using regenerative agriculture practices in the Amazon region of Ecuador. This offers a symbiotic solution with the rainforest and its people.

We are committed to bringing a more holistic level of prosperity to this community and the region without destroying their complex ecosystem. We deliver a message of shared global responsibility and concern for preserving one of the most biologically diverse regions on the planet. The connection of KURI FINE CACAO to its origin transcends the final product itself in its Ceremonial grade and Fine chocolate that makes our products unique and special.

KURI Ceremonial grade fine cacao is designated as Fine-flavor, Heirloom, 100% Ancient Arriba Nacional Ceremonial grade. The unique chemical composition of this variety accounts for its famously floral fragrant aroma and even sometimes its fruity, nutty and even earthy notes. This remarkable degree of complexity can all be found in our ceremonial cacao and fine dark chocolate thanks to the traditional and ceremonial way of making our cacao.

You will experience the authentic taste of the purest form of ceremonial cacao, the vibrant and smooth texture, strong floral aroma with jasmine tones, fruity aroma with a hint of orange, and hazelnut touch in our ceremonial grade 100% pure cacao.

The experience of our KURI ceremonial cacao also assists in energetic healing and receiving clarity in the areas of love, purpose, intuitive abilities, career and personal growth. It is dense in the uplifting & mood-enhancing compounds naturally found in cacao due to the high polyphenol and tannin content.

By looking to Indigenous wisdom of how the medicine has been worked with, we can learn about a healing approach and relationship with mother cacao as plant medicine that has been passed down through generations. Using our ceremonial cacao is a way to reconnect with this ancient wisdom becoming more and more part of our urban jungle. The spirit of mother cacao is alive, intelligent, and a healer in her light. She is a powerful tool to dive deeper into your inner soul—a warm sensation in your chest. You feel softer, more present and loving.

Our Ceremonial cacao is made from selected whole organic cacao beans. Our beans are cultivated and harvested with love and fermented under the equatorial sun, then washed and dried warmly. After getting permission from the spirit of mother cacao, the beans are then cracked, peeled (usually by hand) and stone ground by traditional means by Kichwa women. This process is performed to transform into her new form, to create a paste that is set into a block; nothing is added or removed. The whole process is ceremonial and it’s the thoughtfulness and tradition in growing and processing and the intention in drinking ceremonial cacao that differentiates it from any other commercially produced cacao paste.

From tree to cup, KURI CEREMONIAL CACAO, in its absolute purest traditional form, utilized by ancient civilizations for thousands of years in ceremony and celebration. It is cultivated with intention and in alignment with the mother Cacao Spirit. The sacred land our cacao is grown, our farmers, our process, and our finished cacao are treated with compassion, love, respect, and reverence.

Our Ceremonial cacao is NEVER tempered, and the bean’s fat remains intact, helping to balance its stimulating properties and facilitate absorption over a longer period of time. We make sure to maintain its intrinsic flavour and highest antioxidant properties.