Welcome, Cacao Gardener!

Cacao Gardener is a not-for-profit initiative with a simple intention: Working together to plant trees and restore a biodiverse, spirited Cacao forest in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in Colombia. Join our community and become yourself a Cacao “Spirit” Gardener and a guardian to a sacred Cacao Tree.

Cacao Gardener Colombia · For the Sacred Forest

sacred cacao tree pod fruit cacaomama
© Ricardo Leyva

Seed by seed, a spirited Cacao forest is rising slowly in the North of Colombia, between the Caribbean coast and the high mountains and tropical rainforest of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. The land we are working with has rested for almost a decade to recover from deforestation and intensive cattle ranching. With joy and gratitude we witness now the return home of plants, trees and animals.

 


Plant a Cacao tree and be part of the forest

cacao flower cacaomama
© Marcus Weber

Make a one-time gift and plant a Cacao tree in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in Colombia. We will receive your offering as a blessing and sacred prayer to the Cacao Spirit and Pachamama. Together, we proudly support the birthing of Cacao trees. We are Cacao Gardeners. Thank you for your support and care. 

 

The Cacao Gardener gift of EUR 55 is used to plant, tend, grow, and maintain Cacao trees and their neighbouring trees - from the seedlings at the tree nursery to a strong forest ecosystem. We are committed to raising awareness of spirited reforestation practices in the Sierra. Will you be joining us? Plant a Cacao tree today - for yourself or as a present to a loved one. 

 


We have prepared a gift for you!

We gift you a beautifully illustrated Cacao Gardener ebook in English or German with spirited Cacao stories, rituals & recipes, and insights & illustrations from our dedicated Cacao Gardener team.

 

A 10 minute audio-music Meditation of a Cacao Tree in English or German guiding you with voice and the handpan into the heart of the Cacao forest.

 

Your Cacao Gardener certificate with the exact location of your Cacao Tree in the Sierra Nevada.

Invitation to visit the forest in the Sierra Nevada. Gain hands-on experience, get to know the native culture  and learn from the forest & Pachamama.

 

The coloured "I am a Cacao Gardener logo" to be used on your website and social media. State your intention, commitment and support effortlessly.

 


We love Cacao!

© Ricardo Leyva
© Ricardo Leyva

We love Cacao. We honour the sacred Cacao spirit gifting us with a heart-warming and soul-nourishing medicine. We want to learn from the Cacao tree and nurture all stages from planting, growing, harvesting to serving the heart-opening medicine in ceremony. Together, we weave the vision of a healthy, spirited Cacao forest grown in right relationship ♥︎


Cacao Gardener Colombia · For the Sacred Forest

 

Sierra Divina is a young project with the vision to plant 11,111 Cacao trees and establish a regenerative Cacao forest of ten hectares using permaculture design. It is located at the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in the North of Colombia, the ancient land of the Teyuna, who call it the 'Heart of the World'.

 

The founders Ricardo Leyva and Juan Pablo want their Cacao forest to grow in a sacred way. To honour the land and traditions, they reached out to the Teyuna before planting the first Cacao trees in June 2021. One of the Elders performed a 'pagamento' for the Cacao forest, a payment to Mother Earth to keep the balance between giving and receiving. 

Ricardo and Juan promise to maintain the growth and wellbeing of the Cacao trees. They feel as well that Cacao is "not a commodity”, but a sacred “plant medicine, a wisdom keeper, a unifier, a Spirit.”

 

Why we co-create with Sierra Divina in Colombia

  • We love to support the sustainable fine Cacao production in Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia. Cacao beans from this area are well known for their high quality of aroma and flavour.
  • Sierra Nevada was designated as one of UNESCO´s Biosphere Reserves. To grow a Cacao forest there helps to protect a global biodiversity hotspot.
  • Having the possibility to fund a Cacao forest in the 'Heart of the World' – as the indigenous Teyuna call their land – makes our hearts happy and our faces smile.

 


Ricardo & Juan Pablo

 

"For us Cacao is not a commodity. For us Cacao is sacred, a plant medicine, a wisdom keeper, a unifier, a Spirit. Cacao beans, gifted with the flavours and aromas of mother earth, generously nourish our bodies and our souls, open our hearts and teach us to live happy, peaceful and compassionate lives.

 

We are Cacao guardians in Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, the heart of the world; and we celebrate life by regenerating the soils, by embracing ancient wisdom, by cultivating food rich in minerals and other plant medicines, by maintaining natural reserves to host biodiversity, health and happiness, by empowering the growers with open-source information and by welcoming guests from all around the world to feel inspired, to heal, to be present, connected and in harmony with nature and inner truth.

 

As a company we believe in the power of business to transform reality, to create positive economic, social and environmental impact. When the only purpose of business is the pursuit of money and trying to meet short term needs the results are economic injustice, social and environmental degradation. Our goal is to achieve the balance of purpose and profit, to honour our long-term responsibility towards society and environment."

 

– Sierra Divina Manifesto



The  Cacao Forest Family Vision

 

Our initial goal is to secure 450 guardianships and beginning with the Spring Equinox 2022 nurse, establish and plant 1 hectare of Cacao forestry ecosystem with a total of 1,111 Cacao trees, 1,000 temporary shade plants and 130 oak trees that serve as mother shade trees to the Cacao. This is an exciting journey and you are invited to be part of every step from seed to Cacao tree. 

 

Within five years we intend to help planting altogether 11,110 Cacao trees, 10,000 temporary shade plants and 1,300 oak trees adding up to 22,410 trees on 10 hectares of land. It is our intention to seed - with every planted tree - blessings, consciousness and an environment that allows us to put our hands into the soil and feel deepest kinship with the natural world. 


We align with the Sustainable Development Goals


Cacao Gardener on Instagram

 Cacao Gardener Artwork by Alexis Aronson from Cape Town, South Africa ♥︎

The Cacao Gardener Initiative is supported by



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