I am writing this article today with a heavy heart. Heavy, because my team and I have been grappling with a challenge for a while now. - Om nom nom.

Today, I’m sharing it with you. But as you know, every challenge also holds opportunities, and I would like to explore these with you through this newsletter as well. Light and dark, yin and yang. Are you ready? It is about the oldest cacao in the world...

Our noble cacao varieties

As you know, dear sipper, we at Kakao Mischa only carry selected and, above all, genetically ancient cacao varieties in our digital cacao store.
Leading the way here is our Chuncho Cacao – demonstrably the oldest cacao variety on Earth. Closely followed by our Esmeraldas Cacao, our Piura Blanco Cacao, and, of course, our indigenous Arhuaco Cacao.

Until a few years ago, all of these varieties were in danger of becoming extinct and being replaced by hybrid, supposedly "better," lab-grown varieties.
Not on our watch! And not with Original Beans, our top-tier partner and cacao expert.

That is why we do what these premium cacaos deserve: Shout it from the rooftops, tell everyone about their unique qualities and effects, and even run advertisements for them.

Your demand for these cacaos, dear sipper, provides their producers with appreciation and, above all, a stable, secure, and livable income.

Looking at the big picture, your demand also ensures that there will be even more of these old, noble cacaos in the future.

The challenge

As pioneers of the movement surrounding ceremonial cacao, we at Kakao Mischa have reached over 30,000 hearts in recent years and introduced them to the mindful consumption of this special and sacred plant.

But what seemed miles away two years ago is now clearly appearing on the horizon: the limit.

Due to the rapidly increasing popularity of ceremonial cacao, we are effectively exhausting the available volume of our fine cacaos.

That is a good thing, because it means there will be more of them in the future. The local farmers are receiving proof of the quality of their indigenous cacao varieties and are thus getting the incentive to continue cultivating them.

But the fact is that we have to ration and manage this cacao carefully.
Our decision: No more bulk discounts

This realization has led my team and me to a painful decision: We will no longer offer bulk discounts for our cacao.

Not because we cannot, but because it is our goal to share the cacao with as many people as possible. To provide as many people as possible with access to this ancient and delicious medicine.

Bulk discounts would lead to our cacao selling out faster than the next harvest can reach us.

What does this mean in concrete terms?

Our largest unit remains our hand-molded 500-gram bar – at its fixed price. Since every bar is hand-poured, packed, and filled with gratitude by us, it retains its value – regardless of how many bars you buy.

An exception to this are the 5-kilogram blocks of our Piura and Chuncho cacao. These are available in limited monthly quotas and can be offered at a lower price per kilo because we do not handle them individually. It is worth forming buying groups here. :) Should they be sold out, you can sign up to be notified when they are back in stock.

The opportunity

Even if such challenges initially seem threatening or scary (to me), they do not fail to have their effect: They stimulate growth and prompt reflection.

Thanks to your demand for our cacao, many, many young cacao trees of ancient varieties are now sowing the rainforest floor.