Castronovo Arhuacos Dark Milk Chocolate with Sea Salt

In 2023, I returned to the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta to meet with the Arhuacos as a board member of the Amazon Conservation Team. There, I discussed our Ancestral Tides project, led by indigenous people, which focuses on conserving sea turtles by combining western science with traditional knowledge. The Arhuacos spiritual leader, El Mamo Camilo, shared some native wisdom, “Sea turtles were created with the purpose to connect the land and sea through migrations between sacred sites. Protecting the turtles safeguards those places and maintains the balance of Mother Earth.” This encounter inspired me to use Arhuacos cacao, grown near the Carribean Sea, to create a new dark milk chocolate sprinkled with sea salt. This chocolate blends land and sea to convey El Mamo’s message to you. -Denise Castronovo When Denise presented this chocolate to Mamo Camilo, he said, "This chocolate captures the essence of the Arhuaco ancestral cacao." Ingredients: organic cocoa beans, organic cane sugar, or