Two Week Cacao Immersion

Cacao Is Not the Subject. She Is the Companion.

There are many ways to know a tree.

You can study its biology.

You can learn its history.

You can analyse its chemistry.

You can make beautiful chocolate from its seeds.

All of these matter.

But there is another way.

You can spend time with the tree.

For two weeks, we'll step into the daily rhythm of Cacao Huasi and meet cacao where she lives—in the forest, in the chocolate workshop, around the tasting table, and in the stories people have shared about her for thousands of years.

This apprenticeship doesn't ask you to adopt a particular philosophy or belief. It simply offers time, practices, and experiences that invite a deeper encounter with one remarkable tree.

We don't expect you to leave with every answer.

We hope you'll leave asking different questions.

The Practices

Every day of the apprenticeship returns to the same place.

The trees.

Each morning and evening, you'll spend quiet time with cacao. There is no assignment beyond paying attention. Some apprentices write in their journals. Some sketch. Some simply sit. Others notice something different each day.

These daily encounters become the thread that runs through the entire apprenticeship.

Everything else grows from them.

As we prepare traditional cacao, visit farms, make chocolate, explore fermentation, work with cacao flowers and leaves, or share conversations around the tasting table, we continually return to the same question:

What is this tree asking us to notice?

The practices of the apprenticeship are not designed to provide a single answer. They are invitations to encounter cacao from many different directions, allowing each apprentice's relationship with the tree to unfold in its own way.

Sitting with the Trees

Each morning begins with quiet time beside the cacao trees.

There is no lesson to memorise and no exercise to complete. You're simply invited to arrive, to notice, and to spend time with another living being.

Some apprentices fill pages of their journals. Others sketch, meditate, or sit in silence. There is no correct way to meet a tree.

As the days pass, something subtle begins to happen. The tree is no longer simply where the day begins. She accompanies everything that follows. Conversations about fermentation take on new meaning. Preparing traditional cacao feels different. Even making chocolate becomes another expression of the same relationship.

By evening, you'll have left the forest behind, but you'll often find yourself returning to the trees in your thoughts—reflecting on something you noticed that morning, a question that emerged during the day, or a quiet insight that only arrives as everything else begins to settle.

The practice isn't to become an expert on cacao.

It's to discover what becomes possible when you spend time with the same tree, day after day, with your attention fully present.

Living with Cacao

Chocolate is only one way of meeting cacao.

Throughout the apprenticeship we'll prepare traditional cacao drinks, work with fresh fruit, cacao butter, flowers, leaves, and young pods, discovering that the tree has always offered much more than beans for chocolate.

We'll explore cacao as nourishment, as medicine, as craft, and as a generous member of a wider community of plants. Along the way we'll meet some of the herbs, spices, and plant allies that have traditionally accompanied cacao, not as recipes to copy, but as invitations to deepen your own practice.

You'll create a cacao flower essence, prepare cacao in different ways, develop simple daily rituals, and explore what it means to welcome cacao into everyday life with care, respect, and intention.

Rather than asking, "What can I make from cacao?" we'll often ask a different question:

"How might I live with cacao?"

Transformation

One of cacao's greatest gifts is transformation.

Within a few days, fresh fruit begins an extraordinary collaboration between microorganisms, time, climate, and human care. Fermentation changes not only the chemistry of cacao, but also the flavours that will eventually emerge in the finished chocolate.

Together we'll observe and participate in this process, learning to recognise fermentation not simply as a technical step, but as a living conversation between the tree, the environment, and the people tending it.

Transformation continues throughout the apprenticeship.

Fresh fruit becomes chocolate.

Flowers become essence.

Simple daily practices become quiet rituals.

Questions become companions.

Rather than asking only how cacao changes, we'll also remain open to how spending time with cacao may change the way we notice the world around us.

Stories

Every part of the cacao tree carries a story.

Some are written in chemistry and ecology. Others have been passed from one generation to the next through memory, ritual, and oral tradition. Together they reveal not only how people have lived with cacao, but also how they have understood her.

Across Mesoamerica, cacao came to represent abundance, transformation, death and rebirth, hospitality, beauty, and the mystery of life itself. These stories are not presented as beliefs to adopt, but as invitations to encounter one of the many ways human beings have related to this remarkable tree.

As we work with cacao throughout the apprenticeship—walking beneath her canopy, preparing traditional drinks, observing fermentation, making chocolate, or sitting quietly beside the trees—we'll discover that every practice carries its own story, and every story offers another way of meeting cacao.

Over time, these stories begin to weave together. Rather than giving us a single definition of what cacao is, they invite a more personal question:

Who is cacao in my own life?

There is no answer we can give you.

That conversation belongs to you and the tree.

Is This Cacao Immersion for You?

This apprenticeship is for people who feel called to spend time with cacao beyond the making of chocolate.

You don't need previous experience. You don't need a particular belief system. You don't need to arrive with answers.

You simply need curiosity, openness, and a willingness to meet cacao with your full attention.

You may find yourself at home here if you are:

• Curious about building a personal relationship with cacao.

• A chocolate maker seeking a deeper connection with the tree behind your craft.

• A chef, herbalist, educator, artist, or therapist exploring new ways of working with plants.

• Interested in traditional knowledge, ecology, food, fermentation, and cultural history.

• Looking for practices that can become part of your everyday life.

• Someone who feels there may be more to cacao than you've encountered so far.

Every apprentice arrives with a different story.

Every apprentice leaves with a different one.

Learn with Ancel

For nearly two decades, Ancel has lived and worked with cacao on Costa Rica's Caribbean coast.

Her approach has grown not from a single tradition or discipline, but from years of making chocolate, visiting farms, studying fermentation, preparing traditional cacao, listening to growers and elders, and welcoming thousands of guests into the world of cacao.

Over the past nine years, she has guided month-long apprentices from around the world, each bringing their own questions and leaving with their own relationship to the tree.

Rather than offering a fixed philosophy, Ancel creates the conditions for exploration. She shares what she has learned through experience, invites thoughtful questions, and encourages every apprentice to discover an authentic relationship with cacao that continues long after the apprenticeship has ended.

At a Glance

Duration
Thirteen days (12 apprenticeship days)

Schedule
Wednesday to Monday over two weeks, with Tuesday free to rest, explore, or reflect.

Group Size
Maximum of 4 apprentices, allowing for meaningful conversation, individual guidance, and shared experience.

Location
Cacao Huasi, Puerto Viejo, Limón, Costa Rica

Language
English

Tuition
US$750 per person

Included

• Twelve apprenticeship days

• Daily time with the cacao trees

• Farm visits

• Traditional cacao preparation

• Bean-to-bar chocolate making

• Guided tastings and pairings

• Cacao flower essence making

• All materials used during the apprenticeship

• A small group learning experience

Not Included

• Accommodation

• Flights and transportation to Puerto Viejo

• Travel insurance

• Meals unless otherwise specified

Accommodation
Accommodation is not included, but we're happy to recommend nearby options within easy reach of Cacao Huasi.

Dates
Several immersions are offered throughout the year. Please contact us for upcoming dates and availability.

Booking
A 20% non-refundable deposit is required to reserve your place. The remaining balance is due prior to the apprenticeship.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need previous experience?

No. The immersion is open to anyone with a genuine curiosity about cacao. You don't need previous experience with chocolate making, herbalism, botany, or any particular tradition. An open mind and a willingness to participate are all that's required.

Is this a spiritual retreat?

No. While we explore the historical, cultural, medicinal, ecological, and symbolic dimensions of cacao, this apprenticeship isn't centred on any particular spiritual path or belief system. We welcome curiosity, thoughtful conversation, and personal reflection, while encouraging every apprentice to develop their own authentic relationship with cacao.

How much chocolate making is included?

Chocolate making is an important part of the immersion, but it is only one way of encountering cacao. We'll follow cacao from tree to chocolate while also exploring the many other ways people have lived with, prepared, and understood this remarkable tree.

What is a typical day like?

No two days are exactly the same. Mornings begin quietly with time beside the cacao trees before moving into the day's practices, which may include farm visits, preparing traditional cacao, chocolate making, fermentation, tasting, journaling, discussions, or working with different parts of the cacao tree. Tuesdays are free to rest, explore the Caribbean coast, or simply enjoy time in nature.

Is this physically demanding?

The apprenticeship includes time outdoors, visits to cacao farms, and practical work in the chocolate workshop. A reasonable level of mobility is helpful, but no exceptional fitness is required.

Will I receive a certificate?

Yes. At the end of the immersion you'll receive a Certificate of Completion from Cacao Huasi recognising your participation in the apprenticeship.

How many people are in each immersion?

Each immersion is limited to a maximum of four apprentices. Keeping the group small allows for meaningful conversations, individual guidance, and the space for each person's relationship with cacao to unfold naturally.

What happens after I apply?

We'll personally review your application and be in touch within a few days. If the immersion feels like a good fit for both of us, we'll confirm your place and send details for reserving it with a 20% deposit.

An Invitation

The trees will still be here after you leave.

They'll continue to flower, fruit, and move through the quiet rhythms they have followed for generations.

Perhaps the same will be true of your relationship with cacao.

Not something that begins and ends during two weeks at Cacao Huasi, but something that continues to unfold long after you've returned home—in the way you prepare a morning cup, the attention you bring to a meal, the questions you ask, or the moments you choose to spend quietly with a tree.

If this feels like the beginning of a conversation you'd like to have, we'd be honoured to welcome you to Cacao Huasi.

Come and spend two weeks with cacao.

The rest of the journey belongs to you.