“We make our products with love, and that is not said in a glib way, it is really important to consider the mood you are in when approaching anything in life. If you are making chocolate, then you certainly need to be thinking thoughts of love and laughter as this will infuse the chocolate.”
~ Linus (Founder of The Raw Chocolate Company)
SINCERE APOLOGIES when my blog was transferred to new host older posts didn’t transfer images
Well, I hold nothing back when I say I adore raw chocolate from The Raw Chocolate Company. Before I came across Raw Chocolate I had been a milk chocolate fan. I never realised the health benefits of my favourite treat and I also did not recognise how highly yum raw chocolate is for my creativity. If I ever feel stuck with my writing I simply pop into my mouth some raw chocolate mulberries and within a few minutes the raw chocolate gives my brain a zingy boost and I am good to go. So how lovely to share again these lovely goodies for one lucky winner.
Before I go into the give-away I decided as The Raw Chocolate Company not only sell yummy chocolate and other products they are also a lot of fun and really care about what they do. So I asked the owner Linus Gorpe 10 fun questions for Christmas.
For more information on this company please do check out my earlier review of Raw Chocolate Company goodies HERE and try making for yourself some lovely fudge with raw cacao that can be purchased here. And enjoy the question and answers with Linus the founder who I am now re-naming (tongue-in-cheek)
Fun & Inspirational Insights Into ‘The Raw Chocolate Company’ from the founder & Head Choco Wizard
Linus Gorpe
1. If you had to live in a house made from chocolate (that keeps on replenishing itself) what flavour chocolate would it be made from and why?
I would make it from a special blend of our Vanoffe Dark but increase the cacao to 60% dark so it was a little darker. I’d flavour it with rose oil. It would be sweet, sensuous and dark and romantic and I would share it with my partner. I think you can guess why!
2. What is your favourite part of making raw chocolate?
Ooooh this is really tricky, I love nearly all of the chocolate making process, so I’m going to be cheeky and give two answers. Firstly, I really love experimenting with chocolate, creating new recipes whilst standing naked in my kitchen with an apron on.
The next thing I really love is when these recipes make it to being one of our bars. We open the conche (the machine that grinds up the cacao beans), fully clothed, and out pours the chocolate. It is the most amazing experience, you just want to dive into this sensuous river of pure raw chocolate. I’m surprised any makes it out of the factory!
3. Do you take your chocolate home to test on friends and family and who eats the most?
Haha, always. In fact it is the main way that we test our products. If we and our friends and relatives don’t like it then it won’t make it to production. Also friends will be completely honest. Most of us in the factory are complete chocoholics, but it is most likely me that eats the most. What’s the point in having a chocolate factory if you can’t constantly eat chocolate?!
4. If Father Christmas granted you one wish this year what would you wish for?
As I am a romantic it would be to live with my long term love, who is unfortunately on the other side of the world right now
5. What role do you feel your company has on planet earth?
In short, to inspire people to look at food and conscious living in a new way, with love, kindness and laughter. It permeates everything that we do. We aim to live and act lightly. Our factory is renewably powered. Where fairtrade ingredients are available, we source them. All our products are vegan. We make our products with love, and that is not said in a glib way, it is really important to consider the mood you are in when approaching anything in life. If you are making chocolate, then you certainly need to be thinking thoughts of love and laughter as this will infuse the chocolate. Take one of our bar wrappers apart. On the label where it is stuck together there is a message that every packer reads when putting the label on.
6. What was the ‘aha’ moment you had that made you think about starting The Raw Chocolate Company?
It started with looking at our own diets and a concern for those of our children. So many ‘healthy’ snacks and alternatives just aren’t much fun at all, they are more like wearing (or eating!) a hair shirt. So we started creating fruit and nut/seed balls and coating them in chocolate. They were a massive hit at school fairs, so we started to think about how we could make the chocolate better. Years and years of learning, experimenting, making mistakes and chocolate messes passed by. We came around to realising that ‘good’, ‘healthy’ and ‘high quality’ chocolate meant raw, organic, fair-trade vegan chocolate, so we set about inventing a way to make it.
7. Other than chocolate what other sweet foods do you love?
Fresh fruit, mangoes, bananas, grapes, porridge. Sometimes all together! When friends come to stay they always love my porridge in the morning – they say it is super porridge. Full of seeds, nuts, fruit, chia, made in the traditional way with water, not milk and a very tiny pinch of salt. I gently warm it, some times just leaving it to soak over night with warm water, high heat is not needed with a little care and attention. I then top it all off with some cacao butter, which does need about 30-40oC to melt it into the porridge. This raises the porridge up even further to sensuous luxuriance. Try it!
8. How important is collaborating to you (instead of competition) in business?
It is really refreshing working in this area. As time has gone on, more and more raw chocolate businesses have started up, both in the UK and abroad. I can’t think of one that we have not helped or collaborated with in some way. We have even helped them develop recipes and look at production in difference ways.
The word ‘sustainable’ gets thrown around a lot these days. We really believe in it, but in a deep way. We believe in doing business in a sustainable way. It is about how we grow, how we operate and how we interact with the world, and that includes our competitors.
9. What face do you pull when someone gives you poor quality chocolate?
Ooof I think you can guess. There is nothing worse. Why why why would you add vegetable fat or emulsifiers or soya products to Theobroma Cacao, the ‘food of the Gods’? Eating raw chocolate, your palette really opens up to the 300 different flavour compounds that exist in chocolate. The more you add to it and process it, the more you diminish these. Terrible.
10. There are 3 bowls on the table one contains melted raw chocolate, one contains chocolate covered mulberries and one contains bars of raw chocolate. What bowl do you dive into first?
Haha simple. Melted. And then cover the person next to me in it. Watch out!
For this review and give-away I was gifted these gorgeous gift boxes of Organic Raw Chocolate Mulberries above to review, perfect for that healthy chocolate connoisseur or if you want to introduce your healthy chocolate into your own diet. Great to pop into Christmas stocking also. The box is perfect for posting off to friends and family but I warn you once you start eating it is difficult to stop these are scrumptious. An easy to pop open lid and lovely festive design. Raw Chocolate mulberries look like this:
They are slightly chewy and lovely and sweet. The raw chocolate compliments them so well and as I said in my earlier review here a perfect accompaniment for writing and any creative pursuit (or simply to boost your spirits).
Chocolate mulberries are my favourite raw chocolate covered product they sell, I also love the goji berries and well.. a lot of their products.
Other products that would make fab Christmas gifts include a selection of raw chocolate including Vanoffee (perfect for those making the first crossover from milk to dark), snack packs, make your own chocolate selection, chocolate covered goji berries & raisins and mulberries.
Now for the give-away and what a fab prize for 1 lucky winner. The Raw Chocolate Company have been really generous and the prize they are giving away is 1 whole box of mixed snack packs (12 raw chocolate mulberries and 12 raw chocolate goji-berries). That is 24 packs of chocolate covered sensation (and you can even tell yourself you are eating healthy – I do!).
So to win, follow the instructions on the Gleam competition app (extra entries for sharing, follow The Raw Chocolate Company, visiting The Raw Chocolate Company site & more).
If you like what you see in this review you can purchase the raw chocolate mulberries gift pack HERE along with their other yummy products here. You can also keep up to date with The Raw Chocolate Company on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.
MERRY CHRISTMAS & may 2014 be full of blessings for you!
GOOD LUCK!
*ENTERING* – Enter through the app below, click on the first option (comment on blog) and follow instructions. This will unlock further additional entries into the competition.
Day 2 – The Raw Chocolate Company – 12 Days of Christmas
Answers in comments related to (MUST go through GLEAM app to enter):
Visit The Raw Chocolate Company Shop Here and let us know what raw chocolate goodies you would like to see under your Christmas tree this year and why? (you need to go through the gleam app for your comment to be eligible for entry).
*Post Disclaimer: I received Raw Chocolate Mulberries gift packs from The Raw Chocolate Company in the UK for review. All opinions are my own.
Win competitions at ThePrizeFinder.com
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Kelly Martin, author of ‘When Everyone Shines But You’ is a dedicated writer and blogger who fearlessly explores life’s deepest questions. Faced with a decade of profound anxiety and grief following the loss of her father and her best friend Michael, Kelly embarked on a transformative journey guided by mindfulness, and she hasn’t looked back since. Through her insightful writing, engaging podcasts, and inspiring You Tube channel Kelly empowers others to unearth the hidden treasures within their pain, embracing the profound truth that they are ‘enough’ exactly as they are.
I'd love the raw chocolate bars as well as goji berry and orange ones – YUM!!
I love the raw chocolate company! The vanoffe one is my favourite! 🙂 x
I'd love to try the vanoffee mulberries, they sound new, different and very intriguing
raw chocolate mulberries please.
I'm going to guess raw chocolate is gonna be just fine on low-carb..I'd love to try the goji berry.
Chocolate mulberries, they are gorgeous! I love the sweetness of the berry with the dark chocolate flavour! 🙂
Raw chocolate berries so get the "naughty" with the nice!
I would like to try the mixed packs, so that I could try different things.
Christmas treats, yum
raw chocolate goji berry
raw chocolate mulberries please
The Raw chocolate mulberries
Raw chocolate berries
raw chocolate goji berries
I'm wondering about raw chocolate pomegranate – I don't know if that would work, but if it did, I could imagine it would be a lovely flavour combo 🙂
Raw chocolate berries Yum
I've never tried mullberries, so would love to give them a try
I would have to choose mix as i love all the raw chocolate company products so this way i get lots of tastes of alternate heaven.
I would like the mulberries as my tree never gives enough fruit x
I love the chocolate covered mulberries and the vanoffee bars.
I would love the Mixed 22g Bars that way i am spoiled for choice. x
Raw chocolate mulberries
The Dark Vanoffee bars sound good x
I would absolutely love to get the chocolate box! Making my own chocolate would be amazing!!! 🙂
Fantastic Advent
I would love to see the raw chocolate covered organic mulberries, as I have never tried mulberries, so am intrigued as to how they taste
I'd like to try some of the mixed packs.
Mixed raw chocolate covered
berries they all look delicious!
Makes my tummy groan in anticipation just reading about the prize 🙂
Delicious!
http://www.therawchocolatecompany.com/allan_html_pages_new/more_info_vanoffe_dark_44_22.htm because i love chocolate and if it's dark from raw chocolate co. at least it will be healthier than most other chocs
Raw cacao powder 😀
yummy for cooking cake
I would love a mixed pack of 3 bars to get a good sample of what they have to offer
Dark Vanoffee bar
The Dark Vanoffee bars
chocolate raisins look yummy
raw chocolate covered berries xxxx
Dark Vanoffee bar
The mixed packs would be great for all the family.
organic raw chocolate mulberries
The choc. mulberries sound very tempting and delicious – I'd love to find these under my tree.
Mint with Xylitol 44g
70% Cacao
Fairtrade | Vegan | Sugar Free | Lovingly made in UK… Mint is my favourite.
Goji and orange chocolate bars
chocolate covered berries
Chocolate Goji berries sound very interesting
I'd like the Orange with Xylitol Chocolate Bar. I absolutely love chocolate flavoured with orange.
I'd ask Father Christmas for the mixed 22g bars – what a great way to sample lots of different flavours!
I love chocolate. Though as yet I have not tried this product.
I'd love to try the mixed chocolate covered berries as they sound intriguing and delish!
Ooh I love The Raw Choc Company!
I have tried a couple of the raw choc company chocolate bars but I'd love to get my hands on some mulberries! I bet they are out of this world
Raw vanoffee mulberries would be very welcome under my Christmas tree!
orange with xylitol x
Pitch Dark cacao, because I find dark chocolate most satisfying.
I'm in love with the orange with xylitol!
I'd love some raw choc mulberries and vanoffee dark!
I love love love the raw chocolate goji berries!!
chocolate goji berries – they sound great
organic raw chocolate
goji berries 😀
The Vanoffe flavour. I'm avoiding the higher levels of caffine/theobromine in cocoa mass, but since vanoffe is technically white chocolate, its all good.
mouthwatering berries and quality chocolate yummy
they sound yummy – chocolate goji berries
Raw chocolae covered berries
I'd try the Vanoffe flavour bar,sounds fab
Dark Vanoffee bars
organic raw chocolate mulberries – chocolate and one of your five a day!
Raw chocolae covered berries – sound nice
I would like to find Mixed 44g Bars under my tree 🙂
Raw Chocolate Mulberries 😉
chocolate covered goji berries sound very interesting – would lov e to try these
chocolate covered berries sounds very interesting
raw choc mulberries, cause they're yummy!
mulberries
I like abit of variety so I'd go for the mixed Snack Pack
chocolate covered berries yummy
Raw Chocolate mulberries because I love mulberries – just purchased a tree!
chocolate covered berries just to try them
raw choclate incan berries as ive never tasted these before and they look different
some vanoffe chocolate bars!
These sound fantastic, I love most berries and of course chocolate. I would love to win these!
I love berries & i like chocolate but the combination im yet to try! would be a good win
I adore chocolate and love all berries so I would love to try the choccie covered berries sound divine
Huge chocolate lover and never tried raw chocolate before but I would certainly love to try it and I would certainly love to try the raw chocolate covered incan berries because they are just screaming at me to eat them
Raw Chocolate mulberries sound delicious
Chocolate box yum yum xx
Raw chocolate covered Incan berries
I would like the raw chocolate covered organic raisins, I love these anyway but I'm hoping that been organic maybe healthier, so I would be able to eat them guilt free for once.
Raw chocolate covered mulberries as would remind me of when I was a child and lived abroad and we used to eat mulberries by the bucket full 🙂 MErry Christmas
Definately the Raw chocolate covered raisins and maybe a Raw T-Shirt 😉
Choc covered berries – fab!
I would to try the raw chocolate bars x
chocolate covered berries because they're a little bit healthy …
Chocolate covered raisins because they are scrummy
Would love to try the mixed bars of chocolate cos it would be so difficult to pick just one to try
Mint with Xylitol 22g
70% Cacao
Goji and Orange ! How delicious does that sound?! x
The chocolate box….can make chocolate with the children giving me a valid excuse to enjoy the finished product 😉
Mint. 🙂 xx
mint is great
I want a bar of vanoffee! sounds laverly!
raw chocolate bars
vanoffe chocolate please x
Wonderful! So pleased you like them. Mulberries are my favourite too. Enjoy and have a lovely Christmas/ Yule!