Who doesn't love a bit of guilt free indulgence? Well + Happy’s beautifully craft, heavenly tasting, raw, artisanal, handmade chocolate bars - free from gluten, dairy, refined sugar and soy, are just that! As they so perfectly put it, their products are ‘moments of happiness you deserve to indulge in’.
Combining a skilled knowledge of nutrition with a love of chocolate, Well + Happy has taken ‘treat yourself’ to a whole new level with these indulgent goodies that cut out the nasties, all the while being kinder to your body, your mind and to the planet.
We caught up with the lovely Chelsea Parsons, founder of Well + Happy and modern-age Willy Wonka of the health world, to find out a little more about what makes Well + Happy’s delectable treats so special and why we should all be excited about raw chocolate…
What was your inspiration and vision behind the set up Well + Happy?
With the health and wellness movement booming in London, I wanted to bring something to the market, which uses genuinely good for the body and mind ingredients. There are a lot of termed healthy options, which aren’t that healthy for us after all. Well + Happy is all about good quality, honest ingredients, as well as open education around why we use what we use. Chocolate is never going to be a pile of leafy green vegetables - and it’s not about painting it as that, but choosing a chocolate bar and knowing that every ingredient is as good, honest and unprocessed as it can be, is what it was all about for me when Well + Happy was born.
So, what exactly is ‘raw’ chocolate?
Raw chocolate is the process of making chocolate, without heating all of the ingredients to super high temperatures. Because our chocolate contains such nutrient rich ingredients, too much heat ends up destroying all of the goodness. By ensuring we use low production temperatures, we maintain the nutrient rich benefits of everything that goes into our bars.
What are some of the health benefits of raw chocolate and why should we make the switch from ‘normal’ chocolate?
Cacao is one of the most nutrient rich plants on the planet. Cacao is loaded with antioxidants and magnesium, as well as having a hugely positive impact on our serotonin levels - which create the happy ‘feel-good’ vibes in our bodies. Pure organic cacao, along with unrefined coconut sugar, superfoods and purely natural flavourings, means that our chocolate has a much more positive impact on not only our bodies, but our minds and the planet too. Dairy, refined sugar, soy and gluten, which is usually found in most chocolate bars is what gives chocolate such a bad rep for being a naughty sinful treat - which it needn’t be!
Favourite Well and Happy treat?
It honestly depends on my mood. Midnight dark is my favourite after dinner treat. Extra dark, salty and very satisfying! However I also love adding the chocolate to my breakfast bowls and the chunky monkey banana flavoured chocolate then becomes my morning go-to!
My happy place is: By the water. The sea, a lake, the river Thames - whenever I’m by the water I feel most at home.
My intentions for the next few months are: Business wise - it’s to be more mindfully present in every single business day. There is so much coming up that I can’t even begin to think about how I'm going to manage it all, so I've adopted a mindful one day at a time approach, whereby I aim to focus on everything with full intention on that day!
Personally - I really want to learn how to play the piano, as well as to actually finish a book (I have around 7 I've started!)
At the moment, I am:
Reading - Steve Jobs autobiography, Gabby Bernstein's - the universe has your back, Shantaram and The biology of belief by Bruce Lipton (I'm terrible at finishing books!)
Eating - I'm loving soups, stews and roasted veggies.
Wearing - Scarves and woolly wraps. Being able to wrap up makes me so happy!
Worrying about - I'm not worrying, too busy being present ;-)
Dreaming about - Where I can take Well + Happy
Feeling grateful for - Sunflowers, supportive friends and family, blankets, bike rides and the gorgeous colours of Autumn.
