Unique terroir · Flavor rich · Single origin

Made in Ecuador

The spirit of Ecuador’s fine aroma cacao, made into chocolate.

Unique terroir, real flavor, protected origin. An invitation to taste Ecuador in every bite.

Tropical Bloom 70% bar packaging, mustard-colored with a frog illustration

Welcome

Specialty chocolate born in the cradle of cacao.

We craft bars, spreads and experiences from fine aroma Cacao Nacional, working directly with Ecuadorian smallholder producers. Real chocolate, with nothing to hide: clean ingredients, unexpected natural flavors and honest traceability.

Integrity

We say what we do, and we do what we say.

Excellence

We care for every step of the process to bring out cacao’s true flavor.

Territory

Each bar honors the terroir where its beans are born.

Creativity

We explore unexpected flavors and pairings.

Biodiversity

Only cacao from polycultures, protecting the ecosystems around it.

Origin & sustainability

Knowing the hands that bring us the food of the gods.

Supporting smallholder producers does more than improve their livelihoods: it helps protect their land from mining, monocultures and oil extraction. That is why at The Cacao Spirit we only use cacao grown in polycultures.

Marcos inspects fermented cacao beans on the drying table — Checking the drying beans, one by one

Fine-flavor cacao

An Ecuadorian treasure

Cacao Nacional absorbs the aromas of the fruits and flowers around it. Guavas, bananas, oranges or vanilla give each harvest and region a distinct profile.

No added flavorings

Just cacao and cane sugar

We use no essences or flavorings. We select beans from different origins to reveal the sensory experience of each polyculture.

Terroir & chocolate

The story of the land

Terroir is more than flavor: it is the biodiversity of each ecosystem and the sustainable practices behind every tree. Each bar carries the essence of where and how its cacao grew.

Linocut illustration of a little frog, guardian of the forest

Frogdiversity · Nature’s own certification

Where the little frog sings, the cacao is pure.

Frogs are bioindicators of healthy ecosystems: their skin is extremely sensitive to agrochemicals. Together with biologist José Manuel and Wikiri Sapoparque, we have identified amphibian species on cacao farms that survive thanks to the work of smallholder producers.

Instead of costly certifications that producers cannot afford, we use bioindicators: more accessible, and true to the ancestral practices that care for the planet.

A tiny frog resting on someone’s fingers, found on a cacao farm — A guardian of cacao, actual size

The Cacao Spirit team next to cacao trees during a field trip — Field trip among cacao trees

Bean-to-bar · Biodiverse & delicious

One origin, one community, one living ecosystem.

Direct trade from the farm · Single origin · Vegan and soy-free. Explore each origin of our Dark 70% line on the map: each one wears the color of its packaging.

Map of mainland Ecuador showing six numbered cacao origins and our workshop in Tumbaco, Quito

Origins map · Hover over or tap a point

From the Coast to the Amazon, all the way to our workshop.

Dark 70% · Mache-Chindul, Esmeraldas

Tropical Bloom

Natural notes of citrus and banana

Fermentation6 days · Laurel wood boxes

Mache-Chindul Ecological Reserve: tropical rainforest where cacao grows among coconut palms, grapefruit and other fruit trees, in one of the most biodiverse corners of the Coast.

Our workshop is in Tumbaco, Quito. We show regions, not farms: that is how we protect our direct relationship with each producing family.

Fresh macambo bean, white and ivory, in the palm of a hand

Signature line · 70% · Tena, Napo

Ámbar

Macambo bar · Theobroma bicolor

Natural notes of macadamia and toffee · White Amazonian bean

Macambo from the chakras of Tena, Napo: a white cacao whose bean, ivory when fresh, turns amber when roasted, preserved for millennia through ancestral practices. Golden, with notes of manjar blanco.

Similar to white chocolate, but with no milk and made with real white cacao.

Ingredients: Cacao Nacional, cane sugar and cocoa butter. Nothing else.

Full catalog

The cacao flower · A botanical jewel

A one-of-a-kind chocolate made in Ecuador.

The cacao flower is the emblem of our most select products. Ámbar is made with macambo, a species preserved for millennia in Amazonian chakras; its small red flower fits in the palm of your hand.

Macambo flower in the palm of a hand, in the Amazon — Macambo flower

Ámbar 70% bar packaging, beige with a golden cacao flower

Chocolate maker

Hi, I’m Marcos.

I’m an Ecuadorian chemical engineer with a passion for chocolate. Before founding The Cacao Spirit, I worked in the large-scale chocolate industry, where I learned its science in the lab.

Later, through a mentorship program with the Creature Conserve foundation, I began to understand how raw materials connect to species conservation. That is why I came back to Ecuador: to make chocolate with sustainable cacao and endemic ingredients.

My mission is to share a chocolate that goes beyond flavor: biodiverse, made close to its origin, and contributing to conservation.