The mystery was easily laid to rest. Keith explained to me that the lake is located at an elevation where Cacao cannot thrive and that the beans selected to make Keith’s Cacao are brought to our workshop, a journey hours away.
The absence of Cacao trees was mirrored by the absence of a “cacao culture” in San Marcos. At the time, even the local indigenous Maya descendants used Cacao only in symbolic forms, exchanging a small number of beans at weddings or tossing them into ritual fires.
I am so happy to have experienced this great town before the "Cacao explosion." It makes it easy to see what an impact Keith has had on this town and the surrounding communities. In 2016, attending a Cacao Ceremony on Keith's Porch was one of the "must-do events" in town and, for sure, the only place to experience Cacao.
Though Keith himself had not offered routine, in-person Cacao Ceremonies since the 2020 pandemic, Cacao ceremonies are now everywhere in San Marcos. They are offered in various settings, paired with multiple other modalities: Cacao and Yoga, Cacao and Ecstatic Dance, Cacao and Sound Healing; Cacao and you name it, San Marcos has it. Keith's influence has also inspired many competitors – all of whom learned of this world, and most were trained by Keith himself.
Keith has created jobs, prosperity, and joy for a team of over 30 amazing team members - and via his influence, no doubt dozens more. Today, there are more than 600 Keith's Cacao Practitioners around the globe. Keith's Cacao is shipped from warehouses in the US, Canada, Europe, the UK, and Australia to almost everywhere in the world. It is all an amazing testament to the impact you can have on your community – and the world – by following your heart and doing that big, often scary, gigantic something you love.
Indigenous myth tells us whenever the balance between humans and nature becomes threatened, cacao comes from the rainforest to open people’s hearts and return the planet to a state of harmony - Keith, the Chocolate Shaman
Twenty years ago, heeding the call of the Cacao Spirit, Keith Wilson embarked on a mission to fulfill a prophecy. Joining him was an honor and a blessing. We hope you will join us too as we carry on this incredible legacy.
