About Mamá Cacao - Juliet Davey
Originally from the UK, Juliet relocated to Costa Rica in the late 1990s in search of a more adventurous, purposeful life. Despite being surrounded by cacao trees, she found that most of the chocolate available locally was low-quality and imported. Ironically, she depended on care packages from the UK to satisfy her craving for fine chocolate. What she truly sought was an opportunity to access, and eventually create, high-quality, craft chocolate at the very origin of the cacao itself.
That moment came in 2009, when a friend stumbled upon wild cacao trees growing on his newly purchased farm. That discovery was to start a new chapter in her life. Together and with no prior experience, they dove into cacao fermentation, drying, and chocolate-making. Their early attempts were admittedly messy and terrible. Undeterred and hooked, Juliet kept refining her process. Soon she began crafting truffles that she would sell at cafes, bakeries and at the local farmers’ market.
As her skills grew, so did her understanding of cacao’s history — once a major Costa Rican crop, it was largely forgotten after disease devastated plantations. She was drawn to the idea of helping revive cacao culture and tradition. Juliet started organizing her region’s first chocolate festival, Salon de Cacao, bringing together farmers, makers, and chocolate lovers.
Today, she is a bean-to-bar chocolate-maker, educator, and founder of the Mama Cacao Collective — a non-profit supporting women cacao farmers, climate resilience initiatives, educating consumers and preserving the cultural heritage of cacao.
She handcrafts small batches of fine chocolate, made from organically grown cacao directly sourced from the farmers she knows and trusts. In addition to running workshops, guided tastings and cacao tours, Juliet creates all of her brand’s artwork. She now also teaches internationally — from cruise ships to classrooms — sharing the story, culture and magic of cacao with audiences around the world.
Follow along: @mamacacaochocolate
Her hands-on journey continued. she lived and worked at an environmental learning centre - Rancho Mastatal. Later in 2018, Juliet moved onto a cacao farm, where she tended trees, ran farm tours and processed beans from pod to bar. Despite being told she couldn’t temper chocolate in the jungle’s humidity, she kept going.