Let’s Talk About Sourcing
We are living through an unprecedented contamination of our soils, our food, and our bodies, and this is the moment to respond.
AWANIMA is building direct-trade, food forest economies rooted in the wisdom of the Earth, proving that everyday food can be grown in ways that nourish all life.
Let’s Talk About Sourcing
We’re witnessing the greatest poisoning of soils, food sources and bodies in human history, and now is the time to counter-act.
AWANIMA works to create new food systems that lean on the intelligence and generosity of Mother Earth, proving you can grow abundant food in natural ways that feed all of life. The way it was originally designed!
the industry is broken
The way most cacao — and other global foods — are grown isn't working.
Conventional cacao is one of the most destructive food industries on the planet. Forests are clear-cut to plant monocultures. Farmers are paid poverty wages for grueling work. Chemical pesticides contaminate the soil and the crop. Child labor is widespread, especially across West Africa.
And most brands can't even tell you where their cacao actually comes from.
That's because the industry runs on middlemen — in Guatemala they're called coyotes — who buy in bulk from whoever sells cheapest, with no regard for quality, ethics, or the land. The result is food that's broken at the root.
Monoculture cacao is also increasingly fragile. With no biodiversity to buffer it, a single drought can devastate an entire harvest — which is exactly what's been driving global cacao prices up in recent years.
how we do it differently
We know exactly where our food comes from.
At AWANIMA, every product is traceable back to the forest and the people who grew it. We know the farmers by name. We know their families. We visit the land.
There are no middlemen. We buy directly from indigenous growers at fair prices, and we let their knowledge lead. This isn't just a supply chain decision — it's a practice of respect. Knowing where and who our nourishment comes from is part of being in right relationship with the Earth.
where we source from
Currently, all our products are sourced from one place: Tuqtuquilal.
Tuqtuquilal is a regenerative center and Q'eqchi farmers cooperative in Lanquín, Guatemala. This project is stewarded by AWANIMA's founder which ensures we get only the highest-quality foods.
90
8
Families in Farmers Cooperative
Full-time Local Staff
55
Women Employed to Toast and Peel Cacao
Regular regenerative agriculture and health education workshops
All cacao inspected for quality at purchase and fermented, sun-dried, fire-toasted and hand-peeled
this work stands on three commitments
Biodiverse ecosystems — where many species live and grow together — are more productive, more resilient, and more vital than any monoculture. The forests we source from are not farms in the conventional sense. They are family-run food forests, and we work personally with the farmers to help keep them that way.
PROTECT Biodiversity
Agroforestry mimics the structure of wild forests, layering trees, fruits, herbs, and ground covers so that each supports the others. The result is a self-sustaining system that restores soil, attracts wildlife, and produces food and medicine while regenerating the land. This is the opposite of extraction. This is how food was always meant to be grown, and we want to support the proliferation of this style of farming.
PLANT Agro-Forests
RESPECT Original Caretakers
Indigenous communities living on their ancestral lands carry generations of wisdom about how those lands thrive. They are the most effective stewards of biodiversity on Earth — because they are part of it. Historically this work has been grossly undervalued and underpaid. We believe that changes by paying fairly, building long-term relationships, and following their lead.
𖠁 Our Promise
Relationship over scale. We value relationships as the highest currency. We move at the pace of trust.
Reciprocity. Value most flow in both directions. We take only as much as we give.
Transparency. Integrity means there is nothing to hide. You deserve to know how your food is made.
your purchase makes a ripple of impact
We are designing our supply chain to include customers as participants in making positive change. Every time you purchase with us, you’re putting your energy into an ecosystem that helps life to thrive. Thank you for your partnership in our shared mission to care for life. This circle couldn’t go around without you!
See below to understand how your dollar feeds life.
looking aheadwe’re just getting started.
Our long-term vision is to help establish more community-led agroforestry systems across Guatemala and beyond — turning cacao into a living symbol of reforestation and renewal.
We'll soon be expanding our sources to include other vetted farmers cooperatives, so we can bring more forest medicine to the world. If you work with a cooperative and want to be considered, we'd love to hear from you.
