Today we’d like to introduce you to Nikko Miyatake.
Hi Nikko, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
When I was 18, I had my first cacao ceremony with a cacao shaman and I had such a profound experience. I can still remember it very vividly to this day. After this experience, I knew that I wanted to stay connected to this shaman and the cacao.
I ended up studying with this shaman for 4 years total and I lived in San Marcos, Lake Atitlan, Guatemala for 6 months, where I underwent a type of spiritual training. This shaman, in my opinion, is the reason that we are seeing a ceremonial cacao trend today. He single-handedly re-introduced cacao to the world as a plant medicine partner that can be a great aid for inner work, emotional processing, etc.
This 6 month time period I refer to as my awakening or opening process. In retrospect, it really set the stage for where I’m at in life right now. Fast forward 9 years; having ceremonial cacao on an almost daily basis for 9 years, having led 100’s of cacao circles, and now having my own business with cacao.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
No. I remember ‘trying’ to succeed early on and would apply myself in the appropriate ways, but I was blocked somehow. turns out, life had to teach me some things before I could ‘get on my path
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I own a business called Cacao Breath LLC. We sell ceremonial grade cacao mixed with Maya nut. What sets us apart as chocolate makers is that we mix the cacao with Maya nut (Brosimum Alacastrum). The thought and influence behind the formulation are simple and natural; cacao and Maya nut tree grow together in the same ecosystem and are symbiotic.
Since they help each other to thrive in their natural environment, they also seem to pair very well together in the cup. Maya nut is another nutritional powerhouse boasting benefits such as; high soluble prebiotic fiber content, bioavailable ratios of calcium and magnesium, and high antioxidant content.
Hence our product name, Maya-Cacao. The Maya nut comes from a giant rainforest tree that forms the canopy.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
Being able to adapt to new situations. Grow as you go. Sometimes we try and force things or control things to get a certain end result. Most of the time, things don’t go as planned but if we can adapt along the way, we can manage adversity with more ease and grace.
Pricing:
- 1 lb Maya cacao is $40
- Maya cacao subscription pricing is $35/lb
- Maya nut is $20/lb
Contact Info:
- Website: cacaobreath.com
- Instagram: @cacaobreath
- Facebook: @cacaobreath
- Youtube: @Nikko Miyatake
