The Cacao farmers from Agua Perla Lacandona Jungle in Chiapas.

"Agua Perla is a Cacao community in the Chiapas Jungle on the banks of the Jataté River, at the foothills of Lacandona.

I arrived there due to my enthusiasm for chocolate, stemming from my work as a laborer in a bakery-pastry shop. Thanks to a small course, I started a small artisanal chocolate brand, praline.

To get there, you need to land at Tuxtla Airport and go to the town of Comitán. From there, take a series of shared "taxis" (which is kind of small trucks) towards the town of Maravilla Tenejapa. Once almost on the border with Guatemala, you'll need to get to the limits of the population, where you'll have to proceed to the outskirts and hitchhike.

You'll reach a bridge and need to hitchhike again to the next river, where you'll cross with the help of a little boat. Then, take another hitchhiking ride to the town of Agua Perla."

"Many kilometers of dirt roads and river crossings to reach this beautiful place. The kindness of the people is incredible, as well as the sense of safety when you can walk around at three in the morning with the only risk of encountering the local wildlife.

There's no insecurity as the local population itself takes turns in maintaining local security. 100% of the people are deeply concerned about their environment, making it hard to find any litter on the ground. I only witnessed a preacher from an external religion throwing trash. He was the only one.

There are still some people in the population who speak the indigenous Tojolabal language, and they will be very kind to accompany you to visit their cacao farms.

The union of cacao producers in the jungle is successfully leveraging their knowledge and land, creating their own jobs and taking different cacao presentations to the next part of the chocolate industry chain. You must try the exquisite cured cacao and the freshly harvested cacao – it's all worth it there.

Don't bring alcohol; the people are not used to buying it there, and, of course, you won't find it in this town. And most importantly, YOU DON'T NEED IT!

I will surely return to bathe in their crystalline rivers and laugh with the wonderful people who welcomed me.

I am deeply grateful to the entire community of the Cacao Alliance.