If you have never sat in a cacao ceremony, the short version is this: a group gathers, everyone drinks a cup of ceremonial-grade cacao, and the rest of the session is given over to intention, stillness and connection. Full Power Cacao brings that experience to the Guildhall, with an opening cacao ceremony running on both days led by trained facilitators from the team.
Full Power Cacao is the brand founded by Liam Browne, who has been holding cacao ceremonies since 2012 and launched Full Power Cacao in December 2021 to bring ceremonial cacao to a wider audience. At the weekend the ceremonies are held by his trained facilitators, and their cacao is available at the stand whether or not Liam himself is in the room.
What ceremonial cacao actually is
Ceremonial cacao is not a hot chocolate and not a health supplement. It is cacao prepared with care and drunk in a deliberately unhurried, ritual setting. The team describes cacao as their most powerful way of connecting people to their hearts, and the ceremony around it, intention setting, meditation, mantra and drumming, is really the point. The drink is warm, rich and bitter, and the experience is a gentle one rather than anything dramatic.
What to expect in the opening ceremony
The opening ceremony is designed as a soft start to the day. You are guided through settling in, drinking the cacao, and then a period of meditation and shared presence, often with mantra or drumming woven through. There is no performance required and no need to have done anything like it before. People tend to describe it as grounding and heart-led, a way of arriving properly before a busy day of talks and stalls. If chanting or drumming is not your thing, you can simply sit with your cup and take what you like from it.
The stand and the wider work
Beyond the ceremonies, Full Power Cacao runs a stand where you can buy their ceremonial cacao to take home, along with guidance on how to prepare it yourself. Liam’s wider work includes a cacao facilitator training course, retreats, festivals and a podcast, so if the ceremony leaves you wanting to know more, there are grown-up next steps rather than a hard sell. The team’s own framing is about support, inspiration and connection, and the ceremony at the Guildhall is a low-commitment way to see whether it speaks to you.
Something to try this week
You can borrow the shape of a cacao ceremony without any cacao. Once this week, make your usual hot drink and, before you touch it, sit down properly with both hands around the cup and name one thing you want from the day ahead. Do not sip until you have. Then drink the first few mouthfuls slowly, with no phone and no screen, just the warmth and the quiet. It is a small ritual of pausing before you consume, and it is the same principle the ceremony is built on: intention first, then the drink.
Full Power Cacao is one of over 70 readers, healers and stallholders at the Mind Body Spirit & Wellness Weekend, Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 September 2026, at Stockport Masonic Guildhall. Their ceremonies, like every session across the weekend, are included with entry.
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