Box of chocolate and roses was always the classic valentine’s gift, but the cost of roses for that one day was something I though makes this special and beautify tradition of love celebration, commercial and money-making spoiler. I thought that having rose flavoured chocolates will be a better way.
My mom told me, since I was a little girl, that everything that the Mother Nature gives us is precious. She believes that if a flower needs to be cut to please a pair of eyes and one heart, it can’t be justified. If we ever received a flowers from someone, she will divide it and give away each one to someone else the next day, so that, as she says ‘can make more people happy before it dies’.
I love that and traveling to Bulgaria Vellinga I discovered wiled mountain rose that gives extraordinary and natural flavour that we now use for our chocolate. We dry the rose petals for edible decoration. We now offer an employment to older generation in Bulgaria who pick the roses for us. Nothing is ever wasted and the roses please many eyes and hearts from the bush to the box.
Since my mom inspired the Hearts and Roses Gift Box, I thought ‘how can I make it better chocolate that won’t harm for her high cholesterol and high blood pressure, and if possible, may even help?’
So, few years ago, for a Mother’s Day, my mum enjoyed zero cholesterol, high percentage cocoa solid, without refined sugar, sweeten with high potency beetroot and freeze-dried raspberry, giving the dark cocoa wonderful fruitiness, box of goodness.
I did a lot of research on Functional Foods over the year and learned that high % cocoa is high in stearic acid, that the liver converts into heart-healthy oleic acid. That can help raise the good cholesterol (HDL) and consequently lower your bad cholesterol. This is all thanks to the saturated cocoa butter, that is not so evil after all.
Cocoa also increases blood supply to the heart as well as, the antioxidants in cocoa help with inflammation in artery. Furthermore, cocoa’s epicatechins reduce blood pressure. I was so pleased to be treating my mum with what’s best in nature.
I am very grateful that everyone can enjoy chocolate that loves you back. You should be proud to give this to your love one as we are proud that with every chocolate sold, we can provide work opportunity to people who are otherwise excluded.
With Love
Aless & Ethan
