About us

Our Journey

Cacao Junajpu began as a seed-

Purple cacao pod on a tree branch with green leaves

Cacao Junajpu is a small artisanal company that began in 2009 with a simple desire: to create an authentic Maya drinking chocolate that is good for those who drink it, and good for the Earth. It began as a seed— Through my path as an Ajq’ij, a Maya Daykeeper and spiritual guide —my studies with elders, through ceremony, and through my deep love for Guatemala and everything it carries, I walked, I studied, I shared, I drank, I polished, I imagined, and I Created. -----------I fell in Love.

We sourced the beans from an organic farm, learned the ancient recipe in the mountains from our elders, and began making it in a public mill. Stone ground. Blessed. Small batch. Just the way it should be. People tasted it and wanted more. That's how it all started.
No big factory, no shortcuts. No white-label product made somewhere else with someone else's hands. Just an original seed, planted long ago, still flowering in its birthplace. Its own little legacy.

Today, there are just two of us, working out of a small workshop inside Caoba Farms, in Antigua. We still source directly from those same farmers, we still offer a small ceremony and blessing for every batch — so the ceremony is already in the cacao before it reaches you.

Over the years, we've watched Junajpu gently grow and spread across the globe. It's truly amazing — and we are deeply grateful.
And we offer it to you with all of our hearts.

Person wearing a traditional Mayan headdress smoking a cigar in a dark setting

OUR FOUNDER

Meet Gg

I came to Guatemala in 2006 to make a photo book of Maya spirituality. The book wound up becoming my life instead. And Guatemala, my home.
I spent years in the mountains, in the markets, in ceremony, in caves, the jungle, climbing temples and listening to Elders. The only thing missing back then was a delicious cacao. I couldn’t find one - and I was living in the cradle of all cacao. I wasn’t trying to start a business, I just wanted to take cacao to ceremonies. There was NONE being served then!
The connections between Cacao Junajpu and the Maya, both past and present, are deep-rooted, and continue to reveal new things to me. With profound respect and honor for this path and where it has taken me, I continue to explore the inside, and the outside world- but now always with delicious cacao to share.

Mayan Woman with long dark hair wearing a colorful floral top against a yellow background

PARTNER

Meet Fatima

Fatima began working with Junajpu in 2019. A Maya Kaqchiquel woman from San Antonio Aguas Calientes — a beautiful village not far from Antigua. She is a true Master with Cacao. A force of nature. What she touches naturally wants to circulate. From day one she began methodically taking over our daily operations, and is now a full partner. She works with deep patience, understands balance instinctively, and respects timing — she does not like to be rushed. She prioritizes our values over commerce, ensuring we never sacrifice quality or tradition for speed or profit. She is the net that holds everything together.