Headless Shopify E-Commerce with Astro - Apapacho Real Cacao

The Client

Apapacho by Sal y Chocolate is a premium brand for artisanal cacao products from Tabasco, Mexico. The founders work directly with farming families and sell in the Dutch and European market. The requirement: an online store that reflects the quality and origin of the product.

The Problem

The brand had no online store of their own. They sold through third-party platforms, losing control over branding, customer experience and margins. They needed:

• Their own e-commerce store with full brand control
• Bilingual (Dutch + English) for the European market
• Fast load times, especially on mobile
• B2B ordering for restaurants and retailers
• Simple product management without technical knowledge

The Solution

A headless setup: Shopify as backend for products, orders and payments. Astro as frontend for maximum performance and design freedom. No standard Shopify theme, but a completely custom frontend.

The Result

The brand now has their own online store that loads as fast as a static website while using Shopify's full e-commerce capabilities. Customers experience the brand as intended, not through a generic Shopify theme.

Lighthouse Scores

Measured with Google Lighthouse, the industry standard for web performance.