awanima is a feeling that lives deep in the heart.
(ah-wah-nee-MAH)
AWANIMA (awΓ€nΓmΓ€) is an original Maya Kaqchikel word that describes the creative life-force that animates all of life. The love that pulses through everything. The Kaqchikel people live in the highlands of Guatemala, where the seed of this project was first planted.
Our essence is not just aliveness. It is the care for aliveness. Everything we do stems from a commitment to depth, care, and reciprocity with life.
we are a modern-day food company built on right relationship.
We exist to restore food as a living bridge β between the people who grow it and the people who eat it, between modern life and the forests that sustain it.
Our cacao, spices, and medicinal foods come directly from original communities in Guatemala, grown in living agroforests using the same wisdom that has fed and healed people for generations. We didn't invent a better way of growing food; we are simply following the lead of the people still living it.
our storyit started with a question.
What if the food you eat every day could be part of healing the world instead of harming it?
That question led our founder to the abundant forests of Guatemala, to the Q'eqchi communities of LanquΓn, and eventually to stewarding Tuqtuquilal β a regenerative center and farmers cooperative that is the beating heart of everything AWANIMA offers.
what we believe in
Food as Medicine
Food is medicine when it's grown right. Nutrient-dense food thatβs grown in living soil, by people who deeply understand the land, does something for us that processed or industrialized food never can. Our products come exclusively from agroforests: biodiverse, chemical-free, hand-harvested, slow-processed.
respect original wisdom
Traditional wisdom is not a resource to extract β it's a relationship to honor. The communities we work with have been tending these forests for generations. We value this deeply and build long-term partnerships, pay above market rates, and follow their lead. Their biocultural knowledge is the foundation of everything.
reciprocal nourishment
The living bridge goes both ways. What you receive β living food, real story, direct relationship β is matched by what flows back to the forest and the families. Every purchase makes it viable for a family to stay on their land and tend it well.
Relationship first
We move at the speed of relationship and trust-building. We design systems where everyone involved knows they are part of a shared ecosystem taking care of each other, where mutual flourishing is the norm.
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our vision
We long for a future where food has reclaimed the respect it deserves, and where people are eating from food forests again.
We dream of a world where everyone knows the origins of their food. A world that respects indigenous families and pays them well for their work. An abundant world where forests are protected because their value is understood to feed all of life. Where future generations inherit thriving ecosystems, not depleted ones. Where people recognize food is the doorway into a sacred relationship with Earth.
This world once existed, so it of course can exist again. Every product we share is a step towards co-creating the world we believe in.
ALL FLOURISHING IS MUTUAL
step into our world
START HERE
the origin
