María Cacao revives ancient superfood with ceremonial-grade cacao in Mexico City

María Cobar, founder of Mexico City-based brand María Cacao, is reintroducing raw cacao as a wellness superfood through hand-crafted ceremonial-grade cacao blocks and flavored pods. Cacao, scientifically named Theobroma cacao ("Food of the Gods"), has been prized since Aztec and Mayan times for its nutritional and mood-enhancing properties. Cobar sources cacao from a family of farmers in Tabasco, Mexico, and employs an all-female team. Her first storefront recently opened in Mexico City's Roma Norte neighborhood, offering a full cacao menu in a candlelit space. Products are also available in London at The Dream Of, an east London holistic healing studio run by Vickie Biggs. Biggs has converted clients including Yasmin Sewell (Vyrao), Isamaya Ffrench, and Alex Brownsell (Bleach London) to replace morning coffee with cacao. Cobar emphasizes responsible sourcing and cultural respect, noting that cacao was historically a divine food used in ceremonies before being transformed into processed chocolate after the Spanish conquest. Raw cacao is nutritionally dense, containing more antioxidants than blueberries, plus phenylethylamine and anandamide (the "bliss molecule"). Cobar hopes cacao will become a norm in social spaces, replacing wine or coffee.