Single Origin · Guatemala
Our Process
From beginning to end.
From Seed to Your Table
Every cacao product begins with a single seed and a commitment to preserving the ancestral way of cultivating cacao.
At Cacao Senses, every step of our process is done with intention. We germinate each cacao plant by hand, carefully nurture every tree, and harvest each pod at peak ripeness to ensure the highest quality from the very beginning.
01. Germination & Growth
Each cacao plant begins with care. Our plants are germinated by hand, nurtured from the soil, and monitored as they grow. This early stage helps us protect the quality and future character of every cacao tree.
02. Harvesting at Peak Ripeness
Cacao pods are harvested by hand at peak ripeness. This allows us to select fruit at the right moment, when the cacao is ready to begin its transformation.
03. Opening the Cacao Fruit
Once harvested, the cacao fruit is opened carefully to reveal the fresh pulp and seeds inside. This is where the transformation from fruit to cacao begins.
04. Manual Selection
The fresh cacao beans are manually sorted and selected. This hands-on step helps us separate the best fruit and prepare each batch for fermentation.
05. Six-Day Fermentation
Fermentation is one of the most important stages in developing cacao's aroma, flavor, and complexity. At Cacao Senses, we use a carefully controlled six-day fermentation process, inspired by traditional cacao practices and refined through our own research and field experience.
During fermentation, we monitor key quality indicators such as humidity, temperature, and pH to guide each batch and preserve the natural character of the cacao.
During fermentation and drying, we monitor key quality indicators such as humidity, temperature, and pH to guide each batch and preserve the natural character of the cacao.
06. Sun-Drying
After fermentation, the cacao beans are slowly sun-dried and carefully rotated by hand. This step helps reduce moisture while preserving the cacao's natural aroma, flavor, and quality.
07. Bean Evaluation
Each batch is evaluated to understand its fermentation, color, aroma, and quality. This allows us to confirm that the beans have reached the right profile before they move forward in the process.
08. Ready for Transformation
Once dried, selected, and evaluated, the beans are ready to be transformed into our cacao products — nibs, powder, butter, tea, paste, wafers, and more.