Once upon time, we were traders on Wall Street. Everything was going well, but there was only one problem. A sense of purpose was missing.
Without much of a plan, Alak finally gave in to her inner voice and quit her job. White boarding sessions began over a cup of steaming hot chocolate – our constant. We were passionate about doing something in wellness and food. And one aspect that kept popping up was Ayurveda.
Unlike many health trends that had emerged and vanished, Ayurveda had been around for over 5000 years! It stood the test of time. Turmeric, Ayurveda’s poster child, was walking the ramps all over, but Ayurveda was still patiently waiting for her moment.
We knew that we had to dress her up in a bar of chocolate and present it to the world.
Looking back, Ayurveda was so deeply rooted in our ecosystem growing up. However, we barely valued it. Over the last 16 years, as we grew in our meditation practice, our eating habits started to align with Ayurveda. A somewhat unvalued science that was culturally integrated in our lifestyle growing up was now gently navigating us back to our roots.
Alak got busy in the kitchen, while Kushal became the official taste tester. One day, against the resistance from every cell of her body, he signed them up for a local market in Williamsburg.
“We were sold out in the first few hours. And we knew we were up to something.”
Elements is rooted in Ayurveda, and in our passion for clean, functional and yummy food.
Alak Vasa & Kushal M. Choksi
SUSTAINABILITY
Early on in our journey, we faced a dilemma arising from the fact that the honey produced in the USA cannot be certified organic by the USDA. That’s the hard truth. We had a choice to either go for cheaper Certified Organic honey produced in Brazil, Uruguay or Mexico and earn USDA Organic certification or source local honey and give up the organic certification on our chocolate. We chose the latter. Sustainability is beyond labels.
Every aspect of our packaging is bio-degradable and recyclable.
From hand-stitched labels to hand-pressed paper, our packaging is a tribute to the local artisans who pour their heart in making our products as beautiful from outside as they are inside. Our customers love the unique experience and artisanal craft thrives. Win-win!
FAIR TRADE, TRANSPARENT AND ETHICAL SOURCING
Our highest quality single-origin cacao comes from small and mid-size family-owned farms and co-ops in Ecuador.
We work directly with the farmers. No traders involved, no middlemen. Hence, no room for any unscrupulous pricing practices. It was not easy to start with. Our local partner had to send small trucks to pick up cacao from these nondescript small village farmers who couldn’t even afford transportation to the city and hence often fell for bigger companies who promised to buy their entire produce for a song.
We are so proud of our team, which over a period of time, has done a marvelous job of creating lifelong bonds with these farmers. Now we buy our Cacao directly from small and remote farms.
Usually, cacao is traded through commodities exchanges, offering the farmers a ‘haircut’ on the international prices. Since we completely avoid middlemen, we manage to pay a stable price that is far above the commodity exchange.
Meet the Founders of Elements Truffles
Alak is a mediation and wellness instructor with Art of Living Foundation. She is passionate about teaching breathwork and meditation.
Alak calls herself an ‘approximate chef’ – as she is adept at whipping up the most well balanced yummy meals and desert on the fly. She loves to cook and bake for everyone. Her secret ingredient – love. When not in the kitchen, she is found practicing her beautiful cello.
Kushal is a trainer of breath-work and meditation for the Art of Living Foundation. He serves on the board of the International Association for Human Values (IAHV), USA.
Kushal loves to play guitar and express his thoughts through doodles that he thinks are funny. He is a Penguin Randomhouse published author of On a Wing and a Prayer – Spirituality for the reluctant, the curious and the seeker.