What is Ceremonial Cacao?

What Does It Mean? An Exploration and Our Current View

Written: November 2024

Updated: July 2026

Definition of Ceremonial Cacao

It’s important to state upfront that there is no one ‘official’ or legal definition for the term ‘Ceremonial Cacao’ or ‘Ceremonial Grade’.

In fact there are many differing opinions on the matter and we will try to break some of this down in this article.

However, we can take some of the ‘key’ elements that most practitioners commonly agree on and apply these in an attempt to find a general standard that can provide practical guidance.

Practitioners may add specific criteria to suit their unique needs or belief systems, a practice fully respected and reflected in the ‘to each their own’ philosophy.

Worthy also of note here is pricing. Ceremonial cacao comes in a huge range of prices, ranging from something similar to a chocolate bar, up to something that most folk would find unobtainable.

Value is hard to determine, especially when the source of a ‘story’ is far away on the other side of the world. If a practitioner has taken the time to visit indigenous micro farmers who are engaged in daily ritual practices that resonate, then maybe paying a higher price will be seen as good value.

We also believe in accessibility and that these types of practices, especially when taken daily, can be transformative. For many people to take cacao daily, maybe for a family, value in relation to money becomes important.

Hence the need for a gradient approach to Ceremonial Cacao with regard to pricing, also remembering that variety is the spice of life!

It’s understood that we won’t reach a consensus on this topic, but we hope this effort can at least clarify some of the aspects at play for different folk, and allow for a positive discourse where each can find their own place and a perspective that at least works for them in that moment.

All ceremonies are personal by nature, and we each bring ourselves to it in our own way. We should aim to not get too lost in these definitions and remember that our relationship to the moment, our intent, and what is in our hearts is ultimately the most important thing. No one of us can define the ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ Cacao for anyone else!

Principles that may be generally agreed upon

Grown using sustainable/regenerative and/or organic principles

Certified organic or biodynamic are ideal as can easily be verified by buyers in other countries, but certified organic is typical only of larger projects or co-ops that can justify the costs. Non-certified organic small scale cacao production is very commonplace and often the source of very high quality cacao. However this puts more emphasis on personal relationships as well as testing to ensure that claims can be verified.
Permaculture grown, biodynamically grown and regenerative methods like syntropy may offer even better quality beans and land custodianship than just organic, but may be more difficult to verify from another country.
Cacao should be free from any and all biocides, and can be verified by testing.
Heavy metal levels need to be established, especially when sourcing from South American locations.

Grown by small scale farmers who care for the land

Often this may present as a farmers co-op or group of community farmers who pool their cacao crop for fermentation.
Cacao from large scale commercial farming, where the farmers themselves cannot be identified should be avoided.
Certified organic farmers’ co-op’s are great as they are verifiable.

From a single verifiable origin

Single origin has to be a requirement for Ceremonial cacao, otherwise we have no possibility of understanding how it was grown or how the farmers and land are being treated. Single origin provides the opportunity for investigation of claims being made by a seller.
Worthy of note is that some good quality certified organic cacao is available through the commodity markets, where the COO is established, but any further details of the production will be elusive. This may be acceptable to some practitioners, but we feel there are much better sources available, within the same price range.

Farmers dictate pricing or are paid well above commodity pricing

Cacao will only be grown with care and respect for the natural environment when farmers are paid appropriately.
With the dark history of exploitation of cacao growers worldwide, it’s essential to verify that farmers are indeed being remunerated well and reparations for the past being built.
Again, certified farmers co-ops are a great way to verify this, as organic standards insist on better payment conditions than the commodity market.

Artisanal made with minimal processing at each stage

Ceremonial Cacao is a whole food, as nature intended. The generally agreed upon production process would be:
Harvesting and fermentation. Fermentation may be done by the farmers, or often in a village central location as part of a co-op operation. This often produces a higher quality cacao, farmer fermented cacao can be highly variable in flavour and quality.
Roasting is essential to clean the cacao of tropical parasites and bacteria that thrive under the skins of the beans. Done as a small scale artisanal process, sometimes done over a fire, or using coffee roasters.
Skin removal, occasionally still done by hand, although this is tiresome hard work, more often done with small machinery. As it’s very low tech, they are usually made in the village.
Grinding into liquor. Nearly always done with small scale grinders built for the job, either a stone melanger, or a small universal or ball mill. Grinding times will dictate the texture of the finished cacao. Should be sub 100 microns, closer to 30 microns is better.
Casting into blocks or slabs.
Tempering is not usually done, as it requires a higher level of expertise and equipment.
The finished, untempered cacao will be unstable, bloom and crystallise over time. This has no impact on the finished beverage made and is irrelevant once melted again.

Pure 100% cacao mass, nothing added, nothing removed

Commercial production practices may remove cacao butter from the liquor (as it has a higher value), or may add other oils/fats to bulk out the product. This is really only a problem with larger scale production, as to remove cacao butter requires additional machinery.

Principles that are more contentious… Or personal preference?

Grown only from Heirloom or old Cacao cultivars

Some believe this to be a requirement. However some native people who grow on a very small scale, do indeed grow using hybrid modern varieties as their yield is higher and they are less prone to diseases. They claim this makes no difference.

Produced and sold by people/businesses with a direct involvement with the ceremonial community

Believed by some to be a specific requirement, understandably so, however difficult to establish and be clear on.

Blessed or prayed upon at various stages of production

Most of the practitioners we work with and have communicated with do not regard this as a requirement for Ceremonial Grade Cacao. Some actually prefer the idea of a ‘clean’ and intent free Cacao, not muddied by others unknown intentions. However there are other practitioners that import Cacao saying that it has been prayed over and blessed at each stage of its production. This point comes down to personal preference in our opinion, there is no right or wrong here.

Tested for contaminants, heavy metals and microbiology

Cacao practitioners or small scale Cacao importers don’t seem to be engaged in testing as far as we can tell, maybe thinking this is not within their realm. With the recent revelations regarding heavy metals in some Cacao, especially from the South Americas, we would encourage this to be a consideration.

Be directly traded, sellers having a direct relationship with the growers

Direct trade can mean different things to different people, however direct trade with farmers themselves is not usually possible. Often there will be a small business, or co-op’s that may collect and ferment the beans, then offer international trade. We have investigated some of these projects and in our experience, farmers are usually getting a good deal and there is general support for these types of developments from the farming communities themselves.

Can only be made from beans from certain specific locations eg. South America

South America is the natural origin of all Cacao, and this has been extrapolated by some to say they should be the only ones to produce Ceremonial Cacao. South America is the original source of many many plants and foods we enjoy, tomato and potatoes being commonplace now all over the world. Some have even said Ceremonial Cacao can only come from one area or region. Most disagree with this notion, being open to a more world view, and wishing to support farmers closer to home who are doing the right thing.
We have seen it said that Africa should not produce Ceremonial Cacao, due to its ‘dark history’. We strongly disagree with this sentiment. South America and many of the Cacao growing countries have a dark history as well, this is understood. It’s also acknowledged that there are serious issues, like child labour, within the commodity cacao industry in West Africa. However, due to much excellent development work it is no longer possible to tar all of African Cacao with the one brush. There are now many sources of fairly traded, organic, fine flavoured cacao available from several countries within Africa, many just established in the last few years. Earthshine is directly involved in sourcing from and supporting these projects.

Should not pass through corporate or commodity traders at any point

This view comes from a perspective of wanting to have complete traceability of the Cacao back to its farm origin, creating a link and relationship from the person consuming the Cacao, all the way back to the farmer tending the Cacao.
We believe this is an admirable intent, however there are Ceremonial Cacao being sold that probably does come through large trading companies, particularly in the EU or the US.

Cacao mass should not be tempered?

We believe this is more based in a practical consideration than an ideological one. There is much general misunderstanding about the tempering process! Most small scale farm Cacao production would simply not have the equipment or capability to temper Cacao, so they don’t, rather selling it in somewhat rough blocks that tend to bloom and crumble over time. This does not affect the quality of the final Cacao drink at all.
However, from a practical point of view, tempering does nothing detrimental to the Cacao, and will provide better stability for shipping and improved overall appearance.

Our intention is that this document serves as a point of discussion and connection, where each of us can make informed choices in an area that is ultimately devoid of any ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ perspective.

View Earthshine African Artisanal Cacao range here.

View Earthshine Africa Artisanal 100% Cacao here. This is our recommended and most popular Cacao for ceremonial use.

Cacao is an incredible gift to the world and we choose to respect it, for the good of all, and to do our best to encourage others to do the same.