Mexican Chocolate Brand From Playa del Carmen Wins International Acclaim

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — A Mexican chocolate company based in this coastal city is gaining global recognition, winning multiple international awards and aiming to elevate the country’s historic cacao tradition on the world stage.

Pasón Cacao, founded by Roberto Reta a decade ago, has secured seven medals from the International Chocolate Awards, considered the world’s only independent competition for fine chocolate. The company began by marketing other national chocolatiers’ products but shifted to its own production two years ago, a move that quickly led to its first award in New York.

“We have won against chocolatiers with much more experience in the Americas and with many more economic resources; for us it was a surprise to compete with those large companies,” said Reta, a chef originally from Veracruz. “Although they are our own recognitions, they are medals for Mexico.”

The company now produces 36 tons of chocolate annually, sourcing cacao directly from producers in Chiapas and Tabasco. It supplies hotels, restaurants, and consumption centers in tourist destinations like Playa del Carmen and Cancún.

Production Challenges Persist

Despite these successes, Mexico’s broader chocolate industry faces structural challenges. The country, while the historic birthplace of cacao, accounts for only about one percent of global production. Mexico produces between 27,000 and 28,000 tons of cacao annually but consumes over 100,000 tons, forcing the national industry to import high-quality raw material.

From Product to Experience

Pasón Cacao is now expanding beyond manufacturing. The company recently launched Central Cacao, an experiential center where tourists can learn about cacao’s origin, understand its history, and create their own chocolate.

This initiative aims not only to compete internationally but to reposition Mexico as a global reference point for chocolate—a place that, by history and tradition, belongs to it.