The Northwest Chocolate Festival 2026

“Ceremonial cacao” has become a rapidly growing category in global wellness and conscious consumption spaces. Yet despite its popularity, there is still no clear collective understanding of what ceremonial cacao truly means, who defines it, and how its value is created.
Is ceremonial cacao defined by genetics? Processing methods? Intention? Ritual use? Preparation as a drink? Cultural lineage? Ethical sourcing? Or the relationship to the communities and territories where cacao originates?
This talk explores the emerging conversation around ceremonial cacao from the perspective of origin countries, ancestral cacao traditions, and contemporary cacao production. It examines how cacao’s historical role as a beverage—and not originally as a chocolate bar—shapes the understanding of ceremonial use today.
Drawing from experiences in Peru and conversations across origin communities, this session proposes a deeper framework for ceremonial cacao: one that honors territory, transparency, producer participation, post-harvest integrity, and the cultural context surrounding cacao.
Led by a Peruvian speaker from a cacao-producing country, this session also brings an origin perspective into conversations that are often shaped primarily outside producing regions. It invites reflection on how origin countries can participate not only as suppliers of cacao, but also as voices shaping the meanings, standards, and future of ceremonial cacao itself.
Rather than reducing ceremonial cacao to branding or trend, this talk asks how the category can evolve responsibly while creating more value, recognition, and agency within producing countries themselves.