Lisa Reinhardt is Leaving a Luscious Legacy

Chocolate is the perfect way to experience meditation.

I am very excited to introduce you to Lisa Reinhardt, one of the very first chocolate makers I met when I began my Chocolate for Breakfast adventure. I loved both the intention in her chocolate making and her beautiful spirit. I finally had an opportunity to meet Lisa, face to face, a rare and wonderful treat in this online world of ours, and we “talked chocolate” for hours. Our love of chocolate is certainly bond-inducing, but even more, we share a similar philosophy about pleasure . . . and permission.

Lisa Reinhardt, the founder of Wei of Chocolate, delights in giving people permission to eat chocolate every single day, without guilt. (Sound familiar?)

After traveling in the Himalayas for eleven years, living in monasteries and doing retreat in a cave, Lisa thought she was coming back to the US to share what she had learned about meditation. However, things took a delicious turn after an a-ha moment eating chocolate.

Lisa compiled reams of research and distilled exactly what differentiates healthy chocolate from candy. She believes that a daily piece of chocolate can be a path to health and wellness, as well as a way to bring the benefits of meditation effortlessly into a modern day, busy lifestyle.

When she’s not poring over the latest research on the health benefits of cacao, you can find her traveling to far off places. Her latest project – every woman’s dream – launches this spring. It’s a subscription program that brings chocolate to your door so you’ll always have what you need for inner peace. Learn how to join the ranks of the satisfied at WeiofChocolate.com.

I love your chocolate, Lisa. You were one of the first chocolate makers I met when I began my Chocolate for Breakfast adventure and I was struck by the intention underneath your brand. How did Wei of Chocolate come about? We’d love to hear your story.

For me, it all started in Asia, many years ago. I had gone there to study meditation, after having met someone who told me about Tibet and life in the Himalayas. I decided I had to see it for myself. I was living in Paris at the time. I’d gone to France on a fellowship after college and I followed this man back to Asia. I ended up staying eleven years, studying meditation, living at a monastery, learning the Tibetan language and even doing retreat in a cave in Northern India.

I loved the way of life there and never thought I’d come back to the states to live. At a certain point, though, I felt life pulling me back to the US so I returned, thinking that perhaps I was here to share what I had learned about meditation.

The culture shock was deep! It took a year to get over it. For months, every time I turned on the faucet and got hot water I’d feel a gush of gratitude. But for me, the hardest part was every time I mentioned meditation. People would get that wide-eyed, uh-oh look and say, “Oh! I tried that once – that thing with the breath. It’s too hard; my mind was so busy! I wasn’t any good at it, and I just don’t have time. I can’t do it.”

This was heartbreaking for me because what I’d seen in Asia was that powerful things happen because of meditation. People who had a regular practice had a deep well of joy, compassion, insight and wisdom. All the qualities we spend our lives searching for in the West. I realized we had to find a different way. We couldn’t leave behind our families and businesses to go live in a cave. We needed a method that would work for us in this busy, modern world.

Now I know a lot of us look to chocolate for ‘the answer,’ and I was no exception. That’s where I had that a-ha moment. I realized that when you let a really exquisite piece of chocolate melt in your mouth instead of chewing it, you were doing same thing you’d be doing if you were learning meditation. Except you’d do it better, because resting in the present moment with chocolate, well, there’s just no better place to be.

So that’s how Wei of Chocolate was born. Chocolate is the perfect way to experience meditation. I never met anyone who said eating chocolate was too hard, they were too busy or they weren’t good at it! Chocolate is always a Yes.

I love the way you are bringing that deep well of joy, compassion, insight, and wisdom into the Western world through chocolate.  How does this translate into your business model?

Well, first I’ll admit, we eat a lot of chocolate! One of the best fringe benefits of our work is that we get to practice what we preach on a daily basis. It honestly keeps everyone only a moment away from peace and balance.

We also can’t help loving what we do – what could be better than bringing something to people that is so good on so many levels – and that they enjoy so much? It helps, too, to keep the bigger picture in mind; that we actually support people in making positive changes in their lives from cholesterol management to weight loss.

One of the things I love most about founding a company is that we get to make our own rules. I remember someone telling me that ‘of course’ we’d make a milk chocolate or use (cheaper) non-organic ingredients, right? Because there is a greater market for that in the US (and ‘of course’ it’s all about the money, right?) But for me, that would defeat the purpose of what we do: creating something that’s good for people on every level. I love that we have the opportunity to live our ideals every day, and make a greater place for them in the world.

What else can you bring to the conscious chocolate conversation? What do you want us to know to become better consumers of chocolate?

A major change occurred recently that makes it even more imperative for us to be informed about our chocolate. Many of the grocery-store brands, notably Hershey’s and Mars (think chocolate kisses, M&Ms, and any “candy level” chocolate) are now using genetically modified (GMO) sugar and soy. The reason this is so frightening is that for those candy level chocolate brands, sugar is the first ingredient. That means that you’d be eating over 50% genetically engineered material, no longer a natural, life-enhancing ingredient like true chocolate.

GMOs will become a major health concern in the next 5-10 years. There is compelling evidence that GMOs are linked to the stunning increase in gluten intolerance, despite wheat not being GMO. Studies in Europe suggest that the rise in infertility and autoimmune diseases is also part of this picture. What concerns me most is that it will take years for this information to reach the general public, and their health will suffer before they know the true cause.

It’s actually simple to avoid GMOs in chocolate and other foods. First, look for organic ingredients. By definition, organics products cannot be genetically modified. Second, look for cane sugar, maple sugar, coconut sugar or something that identifies the plant source of the sugar, other than sugar beets. If it just says sugar or sugar beets, we have to assume it’s GMO. At least 95% of the sugar beets planted in the US are already genetically modified.

Likewise with soy – 93% of the soybeans in the US are GMO, so look for organic soy, or soy-free chocolate. The other common foods that are GMO are corn, canola and cotton, which shows up in food as cottonseed oil.

Labeling of GMOs will be a great help when it happens, but we can’t wait for that. We have to be proactive in reading labels and avoiding GMOs now because it will pay off in better health and greater vitality in the years to come.

You use something very different in your chocolate that I had not seen before. Tell us about the flower essences.

Flower essences, like chocolate, are one of the gifts of nature that show us life is magical. Also called flower remedies, they have no scent or flavor, and work via the acupuncture meridians to help us be at our best.

We get our flower essences from Lotus Wei, another woman-owned business started by my good friend, Katie Hess. Katie is a superstar at finding exactly what people need to thrive in our busy world. She hand-collects the flower remedies and uses them to create transformative personal care and spa products. We infuse her flower remedies into our chocolate.

Every flower has a purpose or special quality that, when we tap into it, has a powerful effect on our state of mind. For instance, Wei Relaxed is one of our best-selling chocolates because the passionflower and bird of paradise flower remedies are so effective in calming and relaxing the mind and helping people sleep better.

What could be a more natural fit than blending the spiritual, emotional and physical benefits of chocolate and flowers?

What’s next for you? Any new products or services you’d like to share with us?

I’m so excited – so many cool things are coming to fruition right now! We just launched a new website that I’m super proud of. After years of telling myself that people weren’t interested in hearing the real story – that our chocolate is an effortless way to experience meditation – we finally have a beautiful way to invite people into that world.

And to support that, we’re launching a new program – every woman’s dream – a subscription that brings chocolate to your door every month so you’ll never run out.

Plus, we redesigned our chocolate piece so that it fits perfectly in the mouth. The top has a special symbol – the Tibetan letter “Ah ,” which is the sound of enlightenment.

We’re ready to start building a community of people who share an interest in greater awareness, health and happiness, and since I’ve always felt such an affinity for what you do, Sue Ann, I’d like to invite all of your folks who are reading this to come on over, check out what we’re up to and if you want to try something, use the code LEGACY to get 10% off everything except the subscriptions (which are already a great deal).

And finally, do you have a favorite recipe you’d like to share with us?

Sure! This is my go-to celebration recipe, because everyone loves it AND it’s gluten-free! It’s adapted from a recipe published by Dr. Andrew Weil & True Food Kitchen.

Wei of Chocolate Flourless Cake

Ingredients

24 pieces any flavor Wei of Chocolate
6 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons almond butter
3 eggs, separated
6 tablespoons organic cane sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract  (if not using liqueur)
2 tablespoons liqueur; choose corresponding liqueur to match Wei of Chocolate below

Liqueur recommendations:
Wei Gratitude Chai Spice infused chocolate, try Brandy
Wei Love Chili infused chocolate – Madeira
Wei Joyful Citrus infused chocolate – Grand Marnier
Wei Relaxed Pure Dark – Amaretto
Wei Pure Dark – Cointreau
If not using liqueur, substitute 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In a double boiler, melt chocolate, butter and almond butter. Let cool.

2. Separate the eggs and place the yolks in a bowl. Add 3 tablespoons sugar and beat with an electric mixer until light, pale yellow, about 6 minutes. Slowly pour in the melted chocolate and mix until combined.

3. In a separate mixing bowl, add the egg whites. Whisk until frothy, or use the electric mixer. Slowly pour in 3 tablespoons sugar and mix until soft peaks form. Fold the whites into the chocolate/egg mixture. Carefully fold until combined.

4. Butter a loaf pan; pour batter in the pan. If you prefer, you can use 4 oz ramekins or muffin cups. Pour the batter into the molds, almost to the top.

5. Bake at 325 degrees for 12 minutes for cups, 15-20 minutes for loaf pan. Remove from oven when toothpick comes out almost clean but still moist. Let cool before popping out of the pan. Top with a dollop of unsweetened whipped cream, if desired, or locally made vanilla ice cream.