About Us
Who We Are
Welcome to OmeTeotl! We are Mat and Stacey and this is our family run business bringing you the best cacao and ClariTea from the Ecuadorian Amazon.
We import our cacao and ClariTea from Ecuador ourselves, working directly with the Ecuadorian producers who wild harvest cacao pods and guayusa leaves from their ‘chakras amazónicas’, an ancient non-invasive agroforestry system that sustainably manages diverse crops, trees and medicinal plants within intact rainforest. This traditional practice enhances food security, biodiversity and resilience against climate change.
Purchasing from chakramamas (the women who manage these forest gardens) provides an alternative income to the community so they don’t have to engage in damaging practices such as illegal logging, mining or clear cutting for grazing or planting soy, palm oil and other damaging mono-crops - thus ensuring their home in the Amazon jungle is preserved.
By working in this way we and our Ecuadorian partners also make sure that all the producers receive a fair and consistent wage, and that you are only getting the finest products brought to you by nature herself.
Our Story
We met in 2011 in Ecuador where Mat was working at the Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja. His job involved visiting and working with indigenous Amazonian tribes, and it was whilst working alongside these communities that he learned about their traditional foods and medicines, including cacao and ClariTea (guayusa leaf). At the time, Stacey was in Ecuador looking for a place to write songs and record an album.
We found each other and built a life together, playing lots of music and consuming lots of real cacao and ClariTea and having three cacao and ClariTea loving children along the way!
After many nomadic years, working in conservation and writing (Mat) and music (Stacey and Mat), we decided to settle in Galloway, Scotland in 2022. We wanted to maintain our connection with the Ecuadorian Amazon and support our friends in the communities there, so decided to start a business that would keep that connection and support alive.
OmeTeotl’s journey began with a simple mission: to share the treasure of cacao and ClariTea with people who value real food, sustainable practices and traditional ways of life.
We have always had a passion for healthy teas and chocolate, and learned how to make cacao the authentic way from the curanderos (healers) and chakramamas of the Amazon. We also learned that the guayusa (ClariTea) tree is considered to be the sister plant to cacao - for the Kichwa, cacao is heart medicine and guayusa is medicine for mind and spirit.
Scientific (genetic) studies have also proven what the Kichwa elders told us: that the upper Amazon of Ecuador is the true cradle of cacao - the place where cacao was first harvested and consumed, over 6000 years ago. At OmeTeotl we strive to honour that tradition and never use any chemicals, emulsifiers or preservatives to ‘enhance’ our cacao products - for us, it’s all about real, pure, wild, heirloom cacao.
ClariTea, our name for guayusa, is one of the Amazon’s best kept secrets. The Kichwa have also been brewing guayusa leaves as tea for millennia, harnessing its holistic properties for fitness, mental clarity and energy. This unique beverage is a nutrient dense powerhouse. Packed with antioxidants, amino acids, vitamins and minerals, ClariTea is perfect for a lifestyle geared towards health, clarity, and wellness.
For the people of the Ecuadorian Amazon each day begins with a family ritual of sharing this remarkable tea together. On special occasions (usually three or four times a week ;) ) they mix in cacao to light up the connection between heart and mind.
Wherever we are in the world we continue these ancient rituals of deep connection, with ourselves, with each other, and with the earth.
We invite you to join us on this journey of awakening wonder...
~ OmeTeotl ~
Our Values
We believe in sustainability, quality, and maintaining meaningful connections with our producers and customers. We work directly with our producers so every time you purchase something from us, you are supporting them and contributing to protecting their home.
