The Forest
Grown wild, not in rows.
Agroforestal cacao shares the land with fruit, timber and river. The canopy shades it, the soil stays alive, and the forest stays standing.
Fine cacaofrom Ecuador
Cacao, as the forest intended.
Ceremonial-grade cacao, grown beneath the canopy of the land where cacao was born. Delivered across the UK.
Ayaku — Ecuador
We are from Ecuador, the birthplace of cacao. Our cacao grows the old way — among shade trees and rivers, never in rows. Harvested by hand, fermented slowly, and made in small batches so every cup carries the forest it came from.
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The Pod
Picked by hand, at its peak.
Each pod is cut from the trunk only when it is ready — green turning gold — by families who have tended these trees for generations.
The Bean
Fermented slowly, dried in the sun.
Patience is where the flavour lives. Days of fermentation and sun-drying draw out deep notes of red fruit, honey and earth.
The Craft
Made in small batches, by hand.
Gently roasted, ground and set into tablets — artisanal from start to finish, with nothing taken away and nothing added.
The Cup
A ceremony you can hold.
Warm, rich and grounding. A cup to share, to slow down with, to begin the day — or simply to taste where cacao comes from.
i.
Ceremonial
Pure, whole cacao for intentional drinking — the way it has been shared in the Andes and Amazon for millennia.
ii.
Organic
Grown without synthetic chemicals, in soil kept rich by the forest itself.
iii.
Agroforestal
Cacao under the canopy, alongside native trees — farming that protects biodiversity instead of clearing it.
iv.
Ethical
Direct relationships with Ecuadorian growers, and a fair price for the people who make it possible.
The birthplace of cacao
5,300years
Long before cacao reached Mexico or Europe, it was being prepared and shared in the Upper Amazon of southern Ecuador.
Archaeologists found traces of cacao inside ceramic vessels of the Mayo-Chinchipe culture — the oldest evidence of cacao use anywhere in the world. Ayaku’s mark, a spiral rising from a bowl, is drawn from those same ancestral patterns.
Every Ayaku mark began on paper — spirals, steps and vessels traced from Ecuadorian ceramics.
The Cacao
Two ways to bring Ecuador home.
Ceremonial Cacao
Ceremonial Tablets
Whole cacao, set into hand-moulded tablets stamped with ancestral geometry. Chop, whisk into hot water or milk, and drink slowly.
- Red fruit
- Honey
- Forest floor
Fine Aroma Beans
Whole Cacao Beans
Fermented and sun-dried fine aroma beans, for chocolate makers, bakers and anyone who wants to roast and grind their own.
- Fermented
- Sun-dried
- Single origin
The Ritual
Four steps to a slower morning.
Chop
Finely chop 20–30 g of cacao — about a small handful.
Warm
Heat a cup of water or milk until steaming — never boiling.
Whisk
Whisk until silky and frothy. Add honey, cinnamon or chilli if you like.
Pause
Hold the cup. Breathe. Set an intention — then sip slowly.
“I am sharing cacao with my family — each one gets a cup, and one of them will add their own milk.”
— From the Ayaku kitchen
Now delivering across the UK
Taste where cacao was born.
We take orders personally. Send us a message with what you would like and where you are, and we will take care of the rest.