Zen Bunni ~ Shiva Rose Chocolate Collaboration

Zen and Bunni are truly magical beings that live in a wonderland in the mountains of Topanga, and make hand crafted raw chocolate as they  raise their fairy child Alchemy. Zen and Bunni are those type of artists that make their life their artistic creation filled with imagination and joy. They also are passionate about helping our mama earth and keeping everything non-toxic and sustainable. They recently opened up a chocolate store in Venice Ca, where Zen built the walls by hand infusing them with chocolate. It was dream come true to collaborate with ZenBunni on a Shiva Rose Chocolate bar that is . . . yes. . . infused with rose. Our chocolate is a cardamon rose sea salt love bar, which raises your mood and opens your heart chakra. You can purchase the bars on The Local Rose Shop!

For more hand crafted, raw and organic products and recipes, see The Local Rose.

1) You two are such creative beings. This seems to translate to your chocolates. Where do you gather your inspiration from?

Thank you! Before our daughter, our inspiration came from mother nature, she makes everything perfect, we look to her for just about everything. We also draw inspiration from other artists that exude originality, whatever their craft may be, and to see someone in their truth expressing themselves without fear is a real beacon for us….now it’s our daughter Alchemy.

2) Why is your chocolate good for us?

How much space do we have?
Here’s the quickie – our cacao is impeccably grown biodynamically (we are aware of only two biodynamic cacao farms in the whole world) this method of farming goes far beyond “organic” standards and produces the most mineral and vitamin rich food. We minimally process our cacao beans to retain all of it’s nutrients, we don’t roast them, and it’s consciously and lovingly crafted by people that actually care about you and the planet. When you truly source the finest ingredients and make them with love, real magic happens…not only can you taste it, you can feel it.
Our chocolate is free of soy, gluten, dairy, and refined sugar, the way it should be as well.

3) You are also designers and decorators. Do you have an ideal look or themes for your personal house (The Rabbit Hole Ranch) you are now putting together?

We love and appreciate so many different styles and era’s, from lavish Rococo to Primitive Folk Art, it’s too hard to pick just one….we’re gonna put it all in there. This is the most exciting project as we can really express ourselves in so many ways, and part of our skill set is combining so many different ideas cohesively as they transition from room to room…But most importantly, we do everything Green, from materials, finishes, emfs, water, ect.. People spend so much time inside their home, it’s important that you create a nontoxic environment for you and your family.

4) What or where is your fantasy trip?

Anywhere we haven’t been, especially if we’re shopping for a client, we love the hunt! We truly have fun anywhere we go, nature trekking and antiquing throughout Europe is always something we look forward to.

5) Is it difficult to source organic ingredients?

Not at all, it’s very easy!!! Every company that makes any type of food or body care product that does not use Organic ingredients is completely uneducated or influenced by money, and that in no way should ever supercede human health and the planet.
We actually try and source Demeter Certified Biodynamic ingredients, and that is very difficult and incredibly time consuming, but we do it! We as company are pushing far beyond organic, and have always taken the pioneering route, if their is something better for us and mother nature, we’re looking to incorporate it into our lives and our company.

6) What are your three go to ZenBunni health secrets?

We have hundreds….it’s important to “stack the odds” and do the little things. Everyday you have to make hundreds of decisions small and large, each effecting your body, mind, and planet…like brushing your teeth, you could buy your typical toxic toothpaste from some giant corporation that isn’t supporting sustainability and filling your mouth with sugar, pesticides, synthetic dyes, all leading you straight to the dentist…or you could do some research and find a simple, nontoxic toothpaste. Little things like your deodorant not being an aerosol or containing aluminum, ect…but the big three…
1. Water, we’re mostly water, that should be the cue to take the most seriously. Ideally if you can consume fresh wild spring water (findaspring.com) that would resonate best with your body, since you are a natural being. If that’s a stretch, clean your water well…filter it as much as possible (go the distance) it’s worth it!!! Then take that water, put it into a sacred vessel (we use a clay egg) and bring it back to life by adding minerals (quinton isotonics, willards water, crystal energy from dr. patrick flanagan)…mix it up, switch it up, and keep your body interested. If you drink straight from your filtered spout, it’s free of toxins but lacking in life… you can also add a copper vortex pipe or spout to your home or dancing with water products.
2. We really believe in “earthing” and have been doing it for years…we use grounding sheets when we sleep (earthing.com) and their mats are on our computer.
3. Eat and drink a probiotic rich diet – this is key!!! sauerkraut, we love kvass, kefir, and our absolute favorite kombucha that is unparalleled kejiwastore
And a crucial fourth …..Don’t watch the news!!! (talk about taking you to a bad space fast) – pick and choose your media carefully as the truth isn’t usually marketed in the mainstream.

7) Describe a perfect day in the ZenBunni world?

Spending the day playing at home with our daughter, maybe a few close friends, cooking something epic while watching the sun set over our mountains

8) You made your shop off abbot kinney by hand. Will you describe this process? Is there really chocolate in the walls?

Yes we did, it was very fulfilling to work with our hands using earth from our property. We brought clay rich mud from our sacred land in Topanga to Venice…our new home away from home. We were just learning about cobb structures when this opportunity arised (to rent out a 50sqft closet) and thought this would be a great hands on experiment, and it truly was. We envisioned building a “Rabbit Hole” since we are ZenBunni, and created a curved ceiling frame and built out our overall shape and then combined our mud with sand and straw to create the mix for our walls. As we stared to craft these holy mud batches, we joked that it looked like chocolate…then we realized that we should be putting our actual cacao into this mix and make chocolate walls….moment of chocolate genius! So yes it’s true, our walls are filled with chocolate, we then embedded various crystals into the wall to magnify the love as well as bringing the incredible Jessica Seaton to sculpt a tree inside our shop and Brandon Boyd top help us with our logo. Now that we have the first one done, we understand the parameters of doing it again, as we’d love to open up these tiny ZenBunni Rabbit Holes throughout LA and beyond in other peoples shops as cool and sustainable art installation/worlds smallest chocolate shop!