As autumn deepens and the nights grow longer, communities across Mexico and beyond begin preparing their ofrendas—beautiful altars adorned with marigolds, candles, and food. It is the season of Día de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead. This is a time of love, memory, and gratitude for those who came before us.
At ChocoSol, this time of year is especially close to our hearts. It’s a moment when our work with cacao, farmers, and food comes full circle—a chance to honour the people, lands, and traditions that continue to give life to every bar we make.
“Día de los Muertos reminds us that life and death are not opposites—they are part of the same sacred cycle,” says Michael Sacco, founder of ChocoSol. “It’s about gratitude for the gift of life, and about remembering that the food we eat, the seeds we plant, and the stories we tell all carry the memory of our ancestors.”
From Oaxaca to Ontario: Seeds of Memory
Much of ChocoSol’s cacao is grown in southern Mexico—especially Oaxaca, a region rich in Indigenous foodways and spiritual traditions. In villages there, families prepare tamales, mole, and drinking chocolate for their ofrendas. The scent of roasting cacao and the bright orange of cempasúchil (marigolds) fill the air.
Michael reflects on how that spirit has travelled north:
“When we light candles here in Toronto and make our own offerings—sharing cacao, maize, and gratitude—it’s like extending that circle of connection. The seeds we plant in Oaxaca are also rooted in the community we grow here.”
For ChocoSol, Día de los Muertos is not an extension of Halloween, but a unique holiday to respect and learn from. It’s a time to remember that food is a language—one that speaks across cultures, generations, and even between worlds.
The Food of Life
Cacao holds a central place in many Indigenous cosmologies of the Americas. Known as the “food of the gods,” it is also a food of the people—nourishing, medicinal, and sacred.
“Cacao is the food of life,” Michael explains. “When we share chocolate made with gratitude, we’re participating in something ancient. It’s not candy—it’s ceremony.”
This philosophy—we make food, not candy—has guided ChocoSol since its earliest days. Each bar represents not just a delicious treat, but a living relationship with the land and those who care for it. Whether it’s the farmers who harvest the cacao pods or the team in Toronto who stone-grind the chocolate by hand, every step is an act of respect for that cycle of life.
Building an Offering of Gratitude
This year, as part of our Día de los Muertos celebrations, we’ve built an ofrenda in our St. Clair West boutique. It’s decorated with marigolds, photos of loved ones, and offerings of our seasonal cacao creations—symbols of life, transformation, and joy.
“The ofrenda is not a shrine of sadness,” Michael reminds us. “It’s a table of gratitude—of beautiful things we share with the ones who’ve gone before us. Food, art, and story connect us to that lineage.”
Visitors are invited to stop by, light a candle, and share in this exchange of memory and flavour.
Chocolate for the Season of Remembrance
To mark the season, ChocoSol has created a special line of Día de los Muertos chocolates—each one a playful and reverent nod to the themes of transformation and renewal:
- Cacao Calaveras: Eight mini skulls made from our unique blend of cacao and pumpkin seed butter—half Jaguar Pure, half Vanilla Sea Salt. A treat that celebrates the cycle of life with sweetness and soul.
- Cempasúchil Mini Bars: Crafted from cacao, marigold petals, and vanilla, these bright 35g bars honour the flower of remembrance—the marigold—as it guides spirits home.
- Day of the Dead Figures: Chocolate sculptures shaped as mariachi singers, nuns, and skeletal dancers—each one a joyful celebration of life beyond life.
- Hand-Decorated Calavera Skulls: Each large skull is unique, hand-painted in the traditional Mexican style—a work of edible art that bridges the sacred and the playful.
Every piece is made using ecological ingredients, direct-trade cacao, and low-waste packaging. Because for ChocoSol, "celebrating life means caring for the Earth that sustains it."
A Sweet Remembrance
As Halloween fills the streets with costumes and candy, ChocoSol offers a different kind of celebration—a chance to pause, taste, and remember.
Día de los Muertos invites us to reflect on what sustains us—not only food and flavour, but the relationships, memories, and stories that give our days meaning.
This year, as you share chocolate with loved ones, we invite you to make it an offering—to the land, to your ancestors, and to the cycles of life that connect us all.
“When we taste cacao, we taste the earth, the sun, and the hands that brought it to life,” says Michael. “It’s a reminder that we are all part of one living story.”