Despite being the cradle of cacao, Mexico’s production has been in constant decline over the year. One of the traditional places of production has been the Zoque Rainforest in Tabasco. It is a curious place because you can see the true spirit of Mexico, its diversity.

Here, you can find villages where Zoque and Tzotzil cultures converge. The Zoque are the descendants of the Olmec civilization, which used cacao in their daily lives. There have been 3,800 ceramic jars with caca residue found in archeological diggings. The Tzotzil, on their part, are the descendants of the Maya civilization, which became so enamored by cacao that depicted the mother of one of their greatest kings, King Pakal, as a human-cacao chimera.

Unfortunately, decades of poverty and low cacao prices, have driven many young villagers to larger cities in search of new opportunities, thus weakening the workforce available, but not the culture. Tabasco’s villagers, Zoque and Tzotzil, will not give up their traditions that easy. They are the true guardians of the forest and they are slowly reclaiming it.

It has been a hard journey for them, their pristine areas are always the target of industrial endeavors and cattle pasture projects. We have been able to help through fair commercialization and training in sustainable farming.

We know we have a huge way to go, but we are also extremely motivated by the achievements that the project has gained with the help of the communities and that is our raison d’être.