There are many great ceremonial cacao brands and we see each one playing an important part in the bigger cacao ecosystem. More companies sharing cacao as ritual, rather than consuming it as candy, has a direct positive impact on our individual well-being as well as our global ecosystem.
We realize that you’re probably curious to understand what the key differences are between brands, so we put together this guide to help.
Here Are Some Of The Key Reasons You Might Want To Choose Ora Cacao
- Ora Cacao is one of the first ceremonial cacao brands, we began in 2014!
- Ora Cacao only sources USDA organic certified, regeneratively grown cacao
- Ora Cacao is easy to use - our cacao discs need no chopping, unlike most competitors with cacao bricks. From a review: “It’s way more convenient than other brands because of how smooth and easy to blend the discs are.”
- Ora Cacao offer the widest variety of single origin pure cacaos and botanical cacaos with superfoods. We source from 6 countries and offer 4 botanical cacao blends.
- Ora Cacao is priced in the middle of the pack, yet offers exceptional quality and subscription discounts.
- All of Ora Cacao's product is manufactured in-house in Northern California, giving us superior quality control with our low temperature process.
- Ora Cacao has direct trade relationships with the cacao farming communities we source from, many of which are indigenous
- Ora Cacao's Farmer Climate Resiliency Fund is a one of a kind way that we give back to farmers after listening to how we could most improve their livelihood.
- Fast US shipping - Ora Cacao ships from multiple warehouses across the US, meaning your cacao arrives in 2-3 days from when you place your order
- Ora Cacao is the most loved ceremonial cacao brand on the internet, with 5,800 reviews averaging 4.9 stars. That's because we give you on the honest truth on topics like cacao genetics and cacao powder that other companies use for misleading marketing.
- Ora Cacao is science forward. We test for heavy metals at a ppb resolution, the most rigorous testing available, and publish the results regularly on our website. We also for mycotoxins, flavonoid content, caffeine, theobromine, and more.
Below you’ll find comparisons of Ora Cacao to some of the other top cacao brands out there.
1. Ora Cacao vs. Keith's Cacao
We’re grateful to Keith’s Cacao for being one of the pioneers in the ceremonial cacao space. They got started back in 2003! In contrast, we began Ora Cacao in 2014, which in the world of ceremonial cacao, actually still makes us one of the oldest companies out there.
Keith’s Cacao only offers 100% pure cacao sourced from Guatemala, which is truly magical cacao. In contrast, Ora Cacao sources from Guatemala, Belize, Colombia, Tanzania, Uganda, and India. Ora also offers botanical cacao blends with adaptogens, mushrooms, and herbs to support specific health outcomes, giving Ora a wider range of cacaos and use cases.
Keith’s Cacao comes in the brick format - so you need to chop it before blending it into a cacao drink. Ora Cacao comes in pre-portioned discs, that you can easily add to a blender or your mug without the mess of chopping.
Keith’s Cacao is not organic certified, though it is said to be grown with organic practices. Keith’s Cacao does test for heavy metals at the parts per billion resolution and share their results on their website, which Ora Cacao also does.
Both Keith’s Cacao and Ora Cacao offer educational courses on working with cacao.
Keith’s 1lb bar costs $55, whereas Ora Cacao’s 1lb bags range from $54 - $59 depending on the origin.
2. Ora Cacao vs. Cacao Laboratory (Cacao Lab)
Cacao Lab began in New York in 2016, just a few years after Ora Cacao got started. They source direct from smallholder farmers in Ecuador; Ora Cacao sources direct from a wider range of origins including: Guatemala, Belize, Colombia, Tanzania, Uganda, and India. Both Cacao Lab and Ora Cacao only source organic certified cacao.
Cacao Lab offers four superfood blends alongside their pure cacao, similar in spirit to Ora's four Botanical Cacao blends. Cacao Lab's cacao comes in bars (requiring chopping) and a granulated format; Ora Cacao comes in discs you can scoop by hand for easy measurement.
Both brands test for heavy metals and publish results, though Cacao Lab tests at parts-per-million resolution rather than Ora's parts-per-billion.
Cacao Lab’s 1lb pouch goes for $58, whereas Ora Cacao’s 1lb bags range from $54 - $59 depending on the origin.
3. Ora Cacao vs. Cacao Adventures
Cacao Adventures was founded in San Diego in 2024, a decade after Ora Cacao began. They source direct from three different regions in Peru; Ora Cacao sources direct from Guatemala, Belize, Colombia, Tanzania, Uganda, and India. Cacao Adventures’ cacao is not organic certified; Ora Cacao’s is.
Cacao Adventures test for heavy metals at a parts-per-million resolution and publishes their results on their website; Ora tests at parts-per-billion. They offer cacao in bars, blocks, and discs, with pure cacao options only; Ora Cacao sells exclusively in discs (a format we pioneered in 2017) and we offer four Botanical Cacao blends alongside our pure cacaos.
Cacao Adventures’ 1lb bag is $49.99, where Ora Cacao’s 1lb bags range from $54 - $59 depending on the origin.
Ora Cacao vs. Koracao
Koracacao is newer on the scene, founded in 2023, almost a decade after Ora Cacao began. They source from Peru, Colombia, and Guatemala, while Ora Cacao sources from Guatemala, Belize, Colombia, Tanzania, Uganda, and India. Like Ora, Koracao sources from indigenous communities and describes investing in regenerative farming practices. Koracao is not certified organic.
Koracao shared heavy metals results at parts-per-million resolution via an Instagram post, without testing information on their website; Ora Cacao tests at parts-per-billion and publishes results on our site. Koracao sells cacao in chunks, shards, and instant powder; Ora Cacao's comes in discs.
Koracao’s is a reseller of cacao they purchase in South and Central America without much involvement in the manufacturing process. At Ora, all of our manufacturing is done in-house to ensure the highest quality at our custom-built factory in Northern California.
Koracao’s 1lb bag of ceremonial cacao chunks costs $59.99, where Ora Cacao’s 1lb bags range from $54 - $59 depending on the origin.
You might want to fact check some of Koracao’s claims about the health benefits of cacao, as from what we’ve seen, what they’ve shared hasn’t always been accurate (for example, that cacao cleans your arteries).
Ora Cacao vs. 3rd Eye Cacao
3rd eye cacao was founded in 2019, five years after Ora Cacao began. They source from Colombia, Ecuador, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Guatemala, Venezuela, and Peru with their prices ranging from $60/lb - $100/lb depending on the origin. In contrast, Ora Cacao’s 1lb bags range from $54 - $59 depending on the origin. 3rd Eye Cacao is not organic certified.
3rd Eye sells ceremonial cacao in chunks, bars, and wafers, plus a line of five elixir powders blending Ecuadorian cacao with other superfoods.
3rd Eye cacao mentions that they test for heavy metals on social media but don’t publish their results on their website.
