Purchasing Ah Cacao products
Do you ship internationally?
Unfortunately at this time we can only send products within Mexico.
How soon will I get my package?
After payment is made you can usually expect to receive your package within 4 working days. We prefer not to ship chocolate products towards the end of the week to avoid them spending the weekend in a warehouse which may or may not be climate controlled.
How can I pay?
After placing your order we will contact you with payment options which are:
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Using a credit or debit card online, directly through our bank's payment interface (Banamex/Citibank).
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Direct deposit or transfer to our bank account.
For your security your credit card information will be sent directly to our bank and will not be seen or stored by Ah Cacao.
Where are your physical stores?
Ah Cacao products can be purchased in several physical stores. Please review the section Where to buy. Please note, not all Ah Cacao products are available at all locations. Please contact the stores closest to you to see if they have the products you're interested in.
Ah Cacao products
Where do your cocoa beans come from?
Ah Cacao's chocolate products are made from cocoa beans ("cacao") from the Mayalands of Mexico, the birthplace of chocolate, where cacao has been grown for at least three thousand years. Specifically the Mexican states of Chiapas, Tabasco and Yucatán.
What are fine flavor varieties of cacao beans?
There are many different varieties of cacao beans, characterized by differences in appearance and flavor. The varieties of cacao cultivated by the Maya in pre-hispanic Mexico are considered to be "fine flavor" varieties. Today fine flavor varieties of cacao represent only about 5% of the world's production due to their susceptibility to disease. Ah Cacao uses mainly fine flavor varieties of beans as their milder, less bitter, flavor means we can use less or no sugar in our products.
Most of the cacao grown commercially today are disease resistant varieties grown in Africa (in plantations established by Europeans after cacao's discovery in Mexico and South America). These beans have a much stronger, bitter taste, requiring the use of more sugar and or milk to soften the flavor.
Are your products organic?
All our cacao and coffee is sourced from growers who practice organic cultivation techniques. However only a handful of our growers have third-party organic certification as obtaining certification is an expensive, time-consuming, process which is not economically feasible for small growers.
Are your products fair-trade certified?
No. As a small producer based in Mexico, where our ingredients are grown, Ah Cacao pays our farmers the price they set based on current market conditions, which is usually above "fair-trade" prices.
Where does your coffee come from?
Ah Cacao's coffee comes from farmer co-operatives based in Chiapas state, México. All the beans are high-altitude arabica varieties grown and harvested with care by coffee-growing families.