Mathieu Brees is a chocolatero, or chocolate maker, living on the Peninsula de Yucatán, Mexico. Brees, originally from Belgium, fell in love with chocolate at an early age, and wanted to explore the Central American, Mayan roots of the beloved confection. He settled at the outskirts of Mérida, Mexico twelve years ago to realize his dream of owning a bean to bar cacao tree plantation and artisan chocolate foundry. The plantation that Brees operates along with his partner, Belcolade, specializes in the rare Criollo bean. Criollo is less disease resistant than the other, more common, varieties of Trinitario and Forastero cacao, and its, therefore, conservation is an important aspect of his work. Criollo is considered to be the purest and noblest form of cacao imparting rich and complex tastes to dark chocolate.

The Peninsula de Yucatán of Mexico is known mostly for the white sands and turquoise waters of the Riviera Maya, and the archeological marvels of the Ancient Mayan world. A different experience awaits those who venture further out into the lush jungles and colorful towns to discover the culturally rich, authentic lifestyle of the Yucatecans. The Peninsula boasts beautiful and diverse landscapes of flora and fauna, from the gulf shores to the seaside with dense tropical forests and mystical cenotes, watering holes, in between. An ideal climate paired with a delectable local cuisine, and the melding beauty of colonial and indigenous stone architecture, ensures that it remains a quintessential escape for the global aesthetes and sophisticates that tend to linger, return, and for some, remain permanently in idyllic Yucatán.