Ava Alchemy

Meet Maria. This is her peeling cacao, doing what she's done countless times with hands that know this work deeply. But Maria is so much more than the craft she holds. She's a mother, not just to her own children, but to anyone who crosses her path. The moment I met her, I felt it. That warmth, that openness, that energy that just wraps around you like a hug.
Maria laughs easily. She laughed at me more than once, especially when I did something that must have seemed completely strange to her. But it wasn't mean, it was joyful, teasing, the kind of laughter that makes you feel welcome even when you're fumbling through unfamiliar territory.
She jokes, she shines, she holds space with such brightness.
The cacao I share with you comes from hands like hers.
This is why I do what I do. Because behind every cup of ceremonial cacao is someone like Maria.

⚘ · ⚘ · ⚘
From my heart to yours 🍫♥️

I forgive myself.
These three words feel heavy sometimes. Maybe because I'm still learning how to truly mean them.
I'm not there yet, not fully. But I'm trying. And that matters.
I'm learning that forgiving myself doesn't mean forgetting what happened or pretending it didn't hurt. It means acknowledging that I did my best with what I knew at the time. It means releasing the weight I've been carrying, because holding onto it doesn't change the past, it only makes the present heavier.
I deserve this release. I deserve to move forward without dragging old pain behind me. And even though it's hard, even though some days feel like starting over, I keep choosing to try.
Because forgiveness isn't about being perfect. It's about being human. It's about giving myself the same grace I would offer someone I love.
I'm getting there. Step by step. Breath by breath.

⚘ · ⚘ · ⚘
From my heart to yours 🍫♥️

Every bean carries a story.
Of hands that harvest, sort, and care.
Of time, patience, and trust in the process.

This is where the work becomes tangible.
Not abstract. Not rushed.
Just cacao, held with intention.

⚘ · ⚘ · ⚘
From my heart to yours 🍫♥️

This photo is with Cecilia’s sister and her daughter Mónica.

Mónica supported the cacao work for a long time.
Her mother helps whenever she’s needed and works at the hotel right next to the cacao land.

What stays with me most is not just the cacao itself, but the people around it.
The family. The continuity. The everyday presence.

It’s a gift to know the cacao through generations, through relationships, through real lives lived alongside it.
This is what makes the work meaningful to me.

⚘ · ⚘ · ⚘
From my heart to yours 🍫♥️

This new year did not arrive quietly.
It came demanding, raw, and clear.
And I continue forward anyway: With an open heart, learning and growing.

Thank you to every soul walking alongside me.
Your presence makes this path possible.

⚘ · ⚘ · ⚘
From my heart to yours 🍫♥️

At Ruk’u’x Ulew, cacao is not only something that is produced. It is something that feeds.
It feeds bodies with warmth and strength, and it feeds community by creating work, shared meals, and moments of care.

In this place, nourishment doesn’t end with cacao in a cup. It continues in the food prepared by hand, in the pauses taken together, and in the way generations work side by side. Cacao becomes part of a larger rhythm, one where tending to people matters just as much as tending to the plant.

As Christmas approaches, this feels especially meaningful. A reminder that true abundance isn’t found in excess, but in attention, warmth, and the simple act of taking care of one another.

May this season be filled with nourishment... in all the ways that truly matter.

⚘ · ⚘ · ⚘
From my heart to yours 🍫♥️