SENSE OF PLACE
The “sense of place” expresses this deep connection between a product and its geographical and cultural origins.
In Mexico, there can be only one such product: cacao. Ever since the Mokayas, the first sedentary civilization in Mesoamerica, domesticated cacao around 2000 B.C. in what is now Chiapas, this bean has become a sacred plant, embodying spirituality and symbolic power.
From generation to generation, it has nourished rituals, the economy, and the collective imagination, eventually becoming a cornerstone of all Mesoamerican civilizations.
Even today, drinking or processing cacao in Mexico means reconnecting with this ancient heritage—a sensory and cultural experience, rooted in its terroir and kept alive through the communities that preserve this knowledge.
REVIVING 4000 YEARS OF MEXICAN CACAO HISTORY
With the arrival of the Europeans, Mexico became the world's first cocoa-growing region. In just over a century, cocoa, chocolate and the stone metate - the main processing tool before the industrial revolution - were introduced to Europe, colonial America and Asia via the Philippines.
The fusion of cocoa and sugar gave rise to modern chocolate, and the words "chocolate" and "cocoa", derived from indigenous Mexican terms, entered languages the world over.
YAKAW
Yakaw was founded to preserve the living heritage of the Mexican Criollo Blanco.
We believe that certain heirloom varieties still have much to reveal when it comes to cacao and chocolate, and that their finesse deserves to be both protected and shared.
The past of Soconusco inspires us, while the present offers us the agroforestry, biodiversity, and expertise needed to shape the future of the Criollo Blanco.
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