CEREMONIAL GRADE CACAO

OUR CACAO

We create our cacao on site and work to build an educational, off-the-grid community space. By harvesting cacao beans, We are committed to rescuing the cacao criollo variety for others to experience its maximum benefits from the taste, texture, pleasure and its medicinal properties. Dalileo specializes in producing ceremonial grade cacao and single origin chocolate from our land nestled in the Sierra de las Minas mountain range in the Polochic Valley.

EVERYDAY

We nurture cacao criollo trees that are harvested in a unique agroforestry system and provide cacao and chocolate to those who are looking for the essence of cacao made scarce by mass production.

HAND SELECTED

Heirloom cacao means diversity, cross-pollination, and variety. We find this natural richness in every pod.

Once these heirloom cacaos grow and provide pods, we select each bean to bring back the cacao criollo. The careful selection filters out the white, cacao criollo, bean and separates them from the rest: the darker the pigment, the closer it is to the other varieties. The difference rolls off the tongue.

TOASTING

Our beans are toasted to perfection, thanks to our same dedication. Small-scale means easy to control and perfect. Our toasted grains capture the essence, flavor of raw cacao and hold the basis for all our products. The process retains the natural sweetness and prepares the fresh beans for their treatment: grinding, processing; all done on site.

THE GRINDING

The high quality comes from the ancestral processes of stone ground cacao, to recapture its essence. Once the peeled beans have been toasted, we take our time to grind the cacao until the dust and paste form. It releases the aroma, awakes the senses and captures the natural ingredients in the beans, like cocoa butter. As a result of cacao criollo beans, the amassed ground cacao is already flavorful and less bitter than the other varieties.

WORKING ALONGSIDE THE ALTA VERAPAZ COMMUNITY

We work for the surrounding partners. Dalileo started with one family who discovered a nearly barren piece of land in the state of Alta Verapaz. We employ several workers from the surrounding area, and we work together to maintain a mountain covered in native plants, hardwood trees, fruits, flowers, butterflies, bees and animals. Everyone is part of the process, and every effort goes into building a better environment.

THE COMMUNITY IS INVOLVED AND THRIVING

Our team has become a family. It is crucial for us that we keep cooperating, inviting our workers to learn and inspiring others to grow. We welcome those people who have already fallen in love with our cacao and want to experience the land where it came from and learn about how we grow and process the cacao. The vision is to continue to create sustainable development to build an eco-village and educational center that is of benefit to the land, visitors, residents, and the surrounding community alike.