Introducing Meredith Whitely, Founder of Calm Cocoa
1. What inspired your product range?
Calm Cocoa came about as a result of my passion for chocolate and my work as a meditation teacher. Mindful eating, especially when it involves chocolate, is a really beautiful way to slow down and connect with the senses. It's also been a really important tool for me in managing my own digestive issues. The other lovely coincidence is that a mindful eating meditation is very similar to the way you taste chocolate properly, so it seemed natural to bring the two things together.
2. Alice & Peg gift boxes are all about encouraging the recipient to take a moment for themselves. What's your favourite way to practice self-care?
For me it's about the little moments I can slip into my day, which might be sipping a mug of hot chocolate or having a beautiful scented bath to ease my muscles. I layer this on top of the things I do every day, like my morning meditation and walking.
3. What's the most thoughtful gift you've received and why did it mean so much?
Years ago my husband was going to miss my birthday as he was going to be away in another country. What I didn't know was that in the year leading up to this, he put away a little money each month and just before he left told me he'd saved enough to take us both to New York for my next birthday. Which we did! It was a pretty special gift and I of course bought lots of lovely chocolate while I was in New York as an extra birthday treat.
4. How have you connected with your loved ones who have been physically distant during the last few months?
Zoom has been a total lifeline and in the first few weeks of lockdown I actually ended up speaking to quite a few people I hadn't spoken to in a long time. It really helped me to feel so much more connected. Most of my family is in Australia so I'm used to not being physically close to them, but even then more regular phone chats have been really important.
5. Did you learn anything new about yourself during lockdown?
I've realised that I'm actually quite comfortable staying close to home and not having to travel too much (and was very grateful to be able to do this!). It was also a real chance to reassess what was important both in my life and business, and coming out of lockdown I've really tried to simplify many things I've been doing.
6. Did you pick up any new hobbies during lockdown? Do you have any podcast/ book recommendations?
It's not really a new hobby, but like so many other people I baked a lot more than usual and tried out lots of new recipes. I recommend reading anything by Isabel Allende and a short, but beautiful book I come back to again and again is 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff.
Calm Cocoa Original Rich Mix
Meredith’s original hot chocolate mix was created for her meditation sessions and is a deep, smooth blend of two chocolate origins. The Original Rich Mix contains lovingly flaked single origin dark chocolate with a dash of organic cacao powder, a splash of organic coconut sugar and a teensy pinch of sea salt. It’s designed to melt easily and give you a full (yet gentle!) chocolatey hit. Each pack contains 60g of Calm Cocoa hot chocolate (which is a very generous double serving) and comes with a special Mindful Hot Chocolate Meditation card for you to sip your hot chocolate as a self-guided meditation. They're perfectly sized to add to any box and can be found in the little extras section on the website HERE.
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