Time to hunker down & take care
| As small business owners whose first and foremost priority is to bring people comfort, deliciousness and joy, we are doing all we can to continue to make our wares available to you in the safest and easiest ways possible! We wanted to let you in on updates regarding our little biz and how you can get chocolates, as well as tips to stay safe, support your community, and make self-isolation, well, a little less isolating! We will not be at our local Farmers Market and are not scheduling any travel, events, demos or trade shows in the near future until there is assurance by the CDC and other science-based organizations that participation in gatherings will not be a risk. That said, as of now our little Factory Shop will be open on Monday March 16th and then we will close up the shop and use it as a pre-order no-contact pick up spot only as long as it is deemed safe to do so (check out our social media for updates). Please, if you are ill or have been in contact with anyone that you know is ill, do not visit our shop and arrange for chocolates to be shipped to you! We will continue to make chocolates available for order and ship them out as we follow CDC recommendations to further protect our customers, staff and our community in addition to the normal sanitation and safety precautions we take as food producers. We have done a deep clean and have stepped up our already obsessive hand washing game, and are regularly disinfecting doorknobs, countertops, service ware and any surface that we or others come in contact with. We also use food-grade boxes and cellophane bags that are compostable and recyclable to help protect you and reduce harm to our environment. |
We have no-contact ways to get your chocolate to you! We have started adding more and more products to our web shop so you can order online, by phone or email and have chocolates shipped to you directly, or packed and ready to be picked up outside our Factory Shop (pick-up option could change at any time so check our social media outlets for updates), all following strict sanitary procedures. If you don’t see what you would like, get in touch and we’ll see if we can make it happen!
photos of us in action in our chocolate kitchen by Kelly Fletcher
Here are some simple, high-impact ways to support your community:
Supporting local and small businesses: Small businesses often work within very tight budgets, so they need your help right now as they provide important products and services, paychecks for employees, and keep our communities vibrant! Ordering take-out, purchasing online from local businesses and shipping care packages to yourself or loved ones, visiting local shops that are taking proper safety precautions and purchasing items from locally owned businesses and makers is so very important right now. If visiting small shops isn’t an option, call or email them to see if you can purchase a gift certificate for a celebratory visit at a later date!
Checking in on friends, family and neighbors: Call, text or Skype regularly with others, especially those who have health conditions or mobility issues that make them more vulnerable, those who are alone or isolated, those feeling anxious and out of control. It’s always helpful to know you are not alone, and a small gesture can go a long way.
And most of all, be safe, wash your hands, and don’t put yourself or others uneccessarily at risk. Remember that we are all in this together, and there may be others who need the very same resources we need or are worried about, some more than ourselves.
Here are some ways we are hunkering down and making spending more time at home enjoyable:
Getting outside: Hitting the trails, visiting a park, walking into your backyard or just standing on your building’s balcony, front stoop or roof (only if it’s safe!!!) letting sun hit you, and gulping in big breaths of fresh air is so important right now. If you can’t get outside, open a window on a temperate day and watch a nature show or listen to natural sounds that you can stream on the internet.
Keep in touch: Texting and calling friends and family, skyping or having a zoom meeting with a group is a good way to check in on others and keep social connections.
Cooking and baking: We’ve been making big pots of soup, pasta, colcannon and other comfort meals that we can freeze and enjoy in the days to come. Baking is always comforting, and we have plenty of chocolate and other ingredients to work with. Check out our blog for recipes, I’ll be adding more in the weeks to come!
Crossing home projects off our list: Spring cleaning and getting around to some of the home and garden projects we’ve been meaning to tackle but have never found the time to do is feeling so productive and making our home, where we’ll be spending most of our time in the foreseeable future, feel more like a little oasis. Making a list and crossing stuff off feels so productive and good!
Taking breaks from social media: We all want to keep informed, but it’s so easy to get swallowed up by the minute-to-minute coverage of what’s happening and before you know it hours have passed and you feel anxious and exhausted. We’ve scheduled in regular breaks from looking at social media or the news, checking in a few times a day to stay on top of things, but allowing time to clear our heads through other projects and activities.
Listening parties and streaming movies and shows: We’ve dusted off the turntable and have been going through our album collection, playing old favorites and some new vinyl, filling the house with music. Making popcorn and watching movies and binge-watching television series is a welcome diversion. Nova and other nature shows are fascinating and fulfilling to watch, and we are binging on travel videos like Rambalac and Keezi Walks who film while walking through neighborhoods worldwide without any cuts or narration so you can feel like you are traveling and exploring different regions without leaving home!We so appreciate and hold all of you dear!
Please be safe, stay well, and don’t hesitate to reach out and drop us a line about anything, chocolate or non-chocolate related!
