Culture in Motion: How Dance, Cacao, and Indigenous Wisdom Shape Living Koko
When I dance, I am not performing. I am remembering.
Each step, each hand movement, each sway of the hips carries with it generations of knowledge. Polynesian dance is not entertainment—it is archive. It is ceremony. It is how we record, embody, and pass on what matters: the stories of land, people, our values.
And just as my body remembers through dance, my hands remember through cacao. The smell of the roasted beans, the feel of the granite grinder, the slow tempering of chocolate—these are not tasks. They are rituals. And every ritual is a reminder: I am the bridge between my ancestors and the world we are shaping today.
Dance as Cultural Intelligence
In Western systems, intelligence is often measured by what you can extract, produce, or control. But in our systems, intelligence is shown by how you carry—how you carry stories, responsibilities, and relationships.
Polynesian dance teaches this from the first lesson. It is not just about movement—it is about presence. You learn timing, restraint, generosity, coordination with others. You learn to listen with more than your ears.
In the workplace, these same skills show up. In leading teams, reading the room, creating experiences with rhythm and grace. In holding space for complexity without rushing to conquer it.
Dance taught me to lead with my whole self—not just my brain, but my breath, my gut, my lineage.
Cacao as Ceremony, Not Commodity
We come from a lineage that has worked with cacao for over 200 years (documented). My family grew up around plantations in Samoa, where cacao was part of the landscape and the language.
Today, at Living Koko, we don’t just make chocolate. We practice relationship. Every bean we source is part of a bigger story—of land regeneration, women’s economic empowerment, intergenerational healing.
When I make cacao, I’m not manufacturing a product—I’m remembering the sacredness of what it means to nourish. To create with integrity. To offer something that carries MANA.
This is how I know that Indigenous systems belong here. Because when we root our processes in care, rhythm, and accountability, we don’t just make better products—we make a better world.
Bringing Cultural Systems into Business
Many businesses talk about innovation. But too often, they miss the wisdom that has already been innovated over millennia by Indigenous communities.
At Living Koko, we embed our values in every layer:
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We honour slow growth, not rushed expansion.
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We work with zero waste and circular systems.
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We centre community wealth, not just profit margins.
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We honour rituals, meetings with intention, and product launches as ceremony.
We don’t separate culture from business. Culture is the business model.
When we treat the market as a place for cultural exchange—not just economic transaction—we change everything. We trade in trust. We build legacy. We remember that we are not owners of the land but part of it.
Lolopō Fipe Preuss x
