Founders Story
I am a father of seven children who has spent his life pursuing fitness, health, and balance. For years, I dedicated myself to eating well, exercising, and experimenting with countless diets. Yet I found that most approaches were focused on restriction or weight loss, rather than nourishing the body at the deepest level.
Through this journey, I developed my own philosophy of nutrition, what I call the elite human diet. It’s inspired by the way our ancestors lived: animal-based foods for strength and vitality, with carefully chosen plant foods for their unique nutritional benefits. This way of eating is designed not just to sustain life, but to optimise it.
But my path wasn’t without challenges. After experiencing two stress-induced heart attacks, I realised that health is not about extremes, it’s about balance. I had been obsessed with staying below 10% body fat, and the low-fat bodybuilding diets I followed left me hormonally depleted, stressed, and mentally strained. That journey taught me the vital importance of good fats and the micronutrient density they provide.
The strict diets also pushed me into unhealthy cycles, depriving myself only to eventually binge on sugary foods loaded with bad fats. I knew there had to be a better way. I wanted to end that destructive cycle by creating balance: allowing indulgence and treats, but making sure they were made from foods that support true human health.
Allowing myself to enjoy nutrient-rich fats not only restored my hormonal balance and supported my recovery, it also gave me a way to satisfy my sweet tooth without compromise. I discovered that foods rich in cacao, creamy fats, and natural sweetness could help lower cortisol, boost mental health, and still keep me eating clean.
The Legacy of Kukulkan
This revelation connected me to a much older story, the story of cacao itself. In Mayan tradition, cacao was not candy. It was a sacred, medicinal food. Legend tells of Kukulkan, the winged serpent deity, who descended from the heavens to gift humanity the cacao tree. For the Maya and the Aztec peoples, cacao was a divine offering, so precious it was used as currency, so powerful it was consumed in ceremony and ritual.
They would grind roasted cacao beans with stones, blending the paste with water, spices like chilli and cinnamon, and sometimes honey or flowers. The result was a thick, bitter, energising drink known as xocolatl. It was said to give warriors strength, rulers clarity of mind, and healers a connection to the gods.
This was cacao as it was meant to be: dense, nutritious, medicinal. Not the hollow sweetness we see today, stripped of its benefits and buried under refined sugar, vegetable oils, and artificial fillers.
Cacao as Nutrition and Medicine
Modern science confirms what the ancients knew. Pure cacao is a nutritional powerhouse:
•Magnesium to relax muscles, support the heart, and reduce stress.
•Iron to build blood and transport oxygen.
•Zinc to support immunity and hormones.
•Antioxidants (flavanols & polyphenols) to protect cells, reduce inflammation, and boost brain function.
•Theobromine & small amounts of caffeine for clean, balanced energy without the crash.
•Healthy fats to nourish hormones, support mental wellbeing, and provide deep satiety.
When combined with whole-food sweeteners, natural dairy or protein, nuts, berries, and adaptogens, cacao becomes more than just food, it becomes both medicine and indulgence, just as it was for the Maya.
Why Maya Cacao Exists
MAYA CACAO was born from this truth. As both an athlete and a lover of chocolate, I wanted a way to indulge without compromise, to enjoy chocolate that was both deeply satisfying and profoundly nourishing.
Every bar is created to be nutrient-dense, satiating, and aligned with the way humans are truly meant to eat. This is not chocolate stripped of its power, but chocolate restored to its original purpose, a food that fuels the body, sharpens the mind, and lifts the spirit.
This is more than chocolate.
This is a return to the sacred.
This is chocolate as it should be.
MAYA CACAO: Ancient superfood, modern craft.
Chocolate as the gods intended