About KAKAO: The not-for-profit mission & more
Aloha!
My name is Makenzie Marzluff, the Founder of KAKAO Ceremonial Drinking Chocolate, and I live on Maui, Hawaii. This organization, KAKAO, is a top passion of mine, which is why I enjoy every moment of every day. I adore serving and interacting with this ever-growing community, both front of house and behind the scenes.
KAKAO was founded in 2016 with the mission to bring true ceremonial-grade cacao to the western world for healing, inspiration, heart-opening and connection. At the time, no other ceremonial grade cacao was available in the states. Through many synchronicities and divine guidance, KAKAO was birthed from pure passion, innovation and love. It was the first true ceremonial-grade cacao made accessible across the globe. KAKAO grew organically, solely via word of mouth - until this day without the use of a single paid ad, marketing campaign, paid sponsorship or other business strategy.
I travel throughout Guatemala, Peru and Colombia to find the purest, native cacao beans in the world. The cacao and all of my raw ingredients are sourced directly, meaning well beyond "fair trade" pricing. The production process start to finish was created to preserve the integrity and essence of cacao (the "spirit" of cacao) for the highest benefit of those who work with KAKAO.
I feel my work with cacao is a sacred calling and I am humbled and honored to be a part of it. I am so grateful to our partners on the ground in Peru, Guatemala, and Colombia, all of the farmers, and all of the original guardians of the cacao across Central & South America that have made it possible for all of us to work with this medicine.
My intention is to get you the purest ceremonial grade cacao on the planet, from how ingredients are sourced, to how the product is lovingly made, and how I run the organization behind the scenes. KAKAO is structured as a not-for-profit with the intention of supporting the farmers & communities that bring us this amazing heart healing medicine. This organization's sole intention is to share light, love, healing and oneness with all.
My primary motivating force is authentic connection with every one of you. I love traveling the world and meeting the amazing KAKAO tribe that is on the path of living and leading from the heart. I appreciate you all so much. Through KAKAO I have truly found my soul family, and I hope to provide a space for you to do the same!
Listen to this recent podcast interview where I shared the KAKAO story, my personal healing journey and more!
Over on Instagram for the last several years, I have shared my journey, along with many videos and informational posts about cacao, sourcing, farmers, my travels, and worldwide ceremonies/events. On December 31, 2024 I officially went off Instagram, but you can subscribe to the WhatsApp announcements board for rare but relevant KAKAO updates.
KAKAO's Mission
The mission is twofold:
1) To protect wild, native strains of cacao while supporting and uplifting the farmers, communities and indigenous families that cultivate them.
2) To share the heart-opening power of true ceremonial-grade cacao with the world at large for the betterment of humanity, our planet and beyond.
To learn more about ceremonial-grade cacao, we recommend our 2-hour Cacao Workshop and the 3-day online immersion with the Spirit of Cacao under "Trainings" in the top menu.
Also available: The most recent podcast interview Makenzie did that covers Cacao's science, benefits, usage in daily life and a bit about the KAKAO story.
