From Fire and Stone: The Ancestral Method Behind Our Fresh Ground Cacao
When we speak of ceremonial cacao, we’re not just talking about a product.
We’re speaking of a legacy — a living rhythm carried by women, guided by fire, shaped by stone, and rooted in the land we call home.
At Maya Moon, our Fresh Ground cacao was born from a deep commitment: to preserve and celebrate the traditional Mayan way of preparing cacao. Not to replicate it exactly — but to be led by it. Inspired by it. To carry its spirit forward in every step we take.
A Process that Begins with Fire — and Intention
In the highlands of Guatemala, where the air is rich with the scent of woodsmoke and earth, the process of preparing cacao has remained unchanged for generations.
Each bean is toasted on a clay comal, over an open fire. The heat is monitored not by machines, but by instinct — by watching, listening, and feeling. The women who carry out this work do so with presence and care. The popping of the shells, the deepening of color, the release of aroma — it’s not just technique. It’s ritual.
This step, done with intention, awakens the spirit of the cacao.
Stone Over Stone: A Sacred Memory in Motion
After roasting, the shells are removed by hand, revealing the heart of the cacao: the nib.
And then comes the grinding.
memory. One that connects generations of women, mothers and grandmothers, to a rhythm older than language.
When we first witnessed this process, it was clear: Using volcanic stone, the cacao is slowly transformed — from solid to paste, from seed to soul. This isn’t just physical labor; it’s a practice of is where our cacao must begin.
Inspired, Not Imitated: The Maya Moon Fresh Ground Philosophy
At Maya Moon, our Fresh Ground ceremonial cacao is a modern offering — but its foundation is ancestral. We don’t try to industrialize or erase the origin. Instead, we protect it.
Our cacao is:
Ceremonial-grade, made with native, organic cacao beans from Guatemala.
Freshly ground, preserving the oils, flavor, and energy of the bean.
Fair trade and community-rooted, made in collaboration with women in San Marcos La Laguna and over 190 farming families in Cahabón.
We use careful, low-heat methods to roast and grind the beans, preserving both their nutritional and spiritual integrity — just as the traditional process has done for centuries.
This isn’t about nostalgia. It’s about continuation.
It’s about choosing to honor the past while creating something meaningful for the present.
Honoring the Hands, the Land, and the Spirit
When you drink Maya Moon cacao, you’re not just enjoying a warm beverage.
You’re participating in a lineage.
You’re sipping something prepared in rhythm with fire, stone, and story.
You’re honoring the women who keep this tradition alive — and the Earth that makes it possible.
This is why our Fresh Ground ceremonial cacao exists:
To bridge the ancient and the modern.
To make space for ritual in everyday life.
To return to the root — with reverence, with gratitude, with love.
Want to experience it yourself?
Try our Fresh Ground Cacao and bring the spirit of tradition into your daily ritual.
Because every sip should feel like coming home.
