…respecting farms, farmers and the environment.

 I was born in Los Angeles, California, to Mexican immigrants. I spend most of my time in São Paulo, Brazil, and the rest in California.


My name is Arcelia Gallardo, and I’ve been working with chocolate for 20 years as a chocolatier, chocolate maker, chocolate consultant/teacher, and I’m proud to be the daughter of a farmer. I travel throughout Latin America to work with cocoa farmers, chocolate makers, chocolatiers, and to teach Indigenous women how to make chocolate.

I’ve traveled to 23 countries to learn about chocolate and cacao, from chocolatier boutiques in Paris to isolated communities in the jungles. I’ve worked with Zapotec women in Oaxaca, Mayan women in Guatemala and Belize, Ngäbe women in Panama, and Inca women in Peru.

At Mission Chocolate, we produce the most awarded chocolate in Brazil and we do it all with the minimum of ingredients.

We visit farmers to source our cocoa and ensure it is grown using regenerative, organic, and sustainable practices within an agroforestry system. Our ingredients are local, sometimes wild, native to the Americas and represent Brazilian culture, geography, gastronomy and native flavors.