Regenerative Agriculture
Happy Farmers, Healthy Land Equals Sacred Cacao.
At Cloud Forest Cacao, “quality” is defined by more than taste.
It reflects our sourcing model, our relationship with the land and growers, and our commitment to preserving cacao as a true medicinal and cultural plant. The principles below guide every decision we make—from soil to harvest, from fermentation to your cup. They form the foundation of the regenerative model we are building with our partners in Peru and our community in Colorado.
Direct Source: A Transparent Chain From Farm to Cup
Our cacao is sourced directly from a Quechua farming collective in the Río Mayo Valley of San Martín, Peru—a lush region where cacao has been cultivated for generations as both sustenance and sacred medicine. There are no brokers, traders, or third-party handlers. From the moment the cacao leaves the farmers’ hands to the moment it reaches yours, Cloud Forest is the only one who touches it.
This direct partnership allows us to:
- Protect the genetic integrity of a rare heirloom Criollo varietal, nearly lost to hybridization.
- Ensure transparent and fair compensation for growers based on quality, not commodity pricing.
- Maintain full traceability from seed to sip.
- Preserve cultural knowledge around fermentation, drying, and roasting that has been passed down for centuries.
Direct sourcing is not only an ethical choice—it is a quality choice. It ensures that the values behind each bean are as pure as the flavor it produces.
A Regenerative Model: Supporting Land, Biodiversity, and Eco-Agriculture
Our work is rooted in regeneration rather than extraction. The farming systems we support emphasize soil vitality, biodiversity, shade-grown agroforestry, and seed stewardship. Regenerative agriculture is not simply about sustaining what exists—it is about restoring what has been lost and deepening the reciprocal relationship between people and ecosystems.
By distributing cacao in the U.S., we help sustain the ability of Quechua families to continue cultivating ancestral lands and preserving the Criollo gene line. This model:
- Strengthens land health in the Río Mayo Valley through living soil practices.
- Supports resilient smallholder agriculture that weathers climate shifts.
- Protects rainforest canopy systems and pollinator habitats.
- Creates equitable economic cycles that honor the original stewards of this medicinal plant.
Each harvest cycle becomes an act of regeneration—of both ecosystem and community. This regenerative rhythm is the guiding principle behind Cloud Forest Cacao. Everything we do is rooted in supporting the opportunity to share sacred, direct-source cacao, made possible by the joyful farmers and the healthy land behind every bean we work with.
Minimal Processing for Maximum Nutrient and Flavor Integrity
We believe cacao should be honored, not altered. To preserve cacao’s natural chemistry and nutritional potency, we use a low-temperature, short roast that maintains its antioxidants, fat integrity, polyphenols, and naturally occurring theobromine. These compounds are responsible for cacao’s uplifting and heart-opening effects, and excessive heat can diminish them.
Our minimal approach allows Criollo cacao to express its true sensory profile—floral, nutty, aromatic, and complex—while keeping its bioactive properties intact. The result is a cacao that nourishes body, mind, and spirit with every sip.
Cacao as Food, Medicine, and Ritual
We keep our products intentionally pure because cacao itself is the offering. Used consistently and with intention, cacao has the potential to support physical, emotional, and psychophysiological well-being. It supports circulation, modulates inflammation, and promotes focus and calm through its unique balance of theobromine, magnesium, and tryptophan compounds.
Our role is not to complicate the plant, but to deliver it with integrity and minimal interference. We see ourselves as stewards and carriers of this lineage, not inventors. The cacao already knows what it is—it carries within it the wisdom of the forest.
Rooted in Southwest Colorado, Connected to the Cloud Forest
Based in Durango, Colorado, we serve a community that values land, wellness, and connection. Our hope is that every cup of cacao creates a thread—from Peruvian soil to your hands, from ancestral knowledge to modern ritual.
Thank you for being part of this regenerative cycle. Your choices sustain farms, forests, ecosystems, and traditions that deserve to endure.
To explore more of our products and other offerings, click here.
Research References
Rainforest Alliance — What Is Regenerative Agriculture?
Oracz & Nebesny — Antioxidants in Cocoa (2020)
Djikeng et al. — Effect of Roasting on Cocoa Beans (2018)
