There is a quiet wisdom that arrives with winter.

The days shorten. The mornings ask us to linger a little longer beneath the blankets. Trees release their leaves. Animals retreat to rest. The earth itself appears to pause….Yet so often, we resist.

We continue to move at the pace of summer, pushing through exhaustion, filling every hour, believing productivity is the measure of a life well lived. When winter comes, we often treat it as something to survive rather than something to embrace.

But what if winter wasn’t asking us to work harder? – What if it was inviting us to become quieter?

I spent last weekend with my headphones on, not because I wanted music non-stop, it was actually to cut out the ongoing noise in the house. It let everyone know I was out of bounds lol, I just wanted my own company…and hoped no one took it personally.

The idea of wintering is not about doing nothing. It is about honouring the natural seasons of life. Just as the land needs time to replenish before new growth appears, people also need seasons of restoration and I needed deep rest with only the capacity for my own thoughts.

For many Indigenous cultures across the Pacific, life has always followed the rhythms of nature rather than the demands of the clock. There is an understanding that community, food, movement, storytelling and ceremony each have their season. Rest is not laziness—it is preparation.

Gathering around warm food, sharing stories, singing together and caring for one another have long been ways of moving through the colder months. Connection itself becomes medicine. But after the first half of this year I just needed to tune into my own thoughts and what I needed.

 I had no more space to give other…so tuning out was tuning in and helping creating space.

Space to breathe.

Space to listen.

Space to reconnect with ourselves and with each other.

In a world that celebrates speed, choosing slowness can feel almost rebellious.

Slowness allows us to notice the warmth of the mug in our hands.

To watch the steam rise.

To hear the rain outside.

To truly taste what we are consuming instead of rushing to the next task.

These small rituals have become my anchors. Sometimes we don’t need the candles, the incense, just the moment to give ourselves permission.

Research increasingly supports what many traditional cultures have always understood: slowing down can help regulate our nervous system, reduce stress and deepen our sense of wellbeing. While winter encourages us inward, it also offers an opportunity to restore the energy that constant busyness quietly takes away.

Perhaps this winter doesn’t need another productivity challenge.

Perhaps it needs a new evening ritual to invites the calm warmth into your home.

When I finish work…I light a candle, make a cup of koko, wrap myself in a blanket and read a chapter of a book. This weekend it was “The Process of Breaking Open” by Janelle Bridges. 

I’d read a chapter and then pottered around reflecting on the questions she was asking in each. This brought so much gratitude and depth into my weekend and in the simple silence I understand that Winter doesn’t ask us to bloom, it asks us to build strong roots because when spring arrives growth comes naturally – not because we forced it but because we allowed ourselves the time to restore.

This season, give yourself permission to winter.

Slow down.

Gather with those you love.

Nourish your body.

Honour your spirit…put on those headphones lol

And remember that sometimes the most meaningful growth happens beneath the surface, where no one else can see it.

At Living Koko, we believe wellness isn’t found in doing more. Sometimes, it’s found in slowing down enough to remember who we are.

Dear Living Koko community,

This is a hard letter to write.

From the beginning, Living Koko has been about more than chocolate. It has been about honouring the lands and hands that grow our cacao, respecting the ocean that connects us, and holding fast to traditions of care, culture and community. Every bar, every cup of drinking cacao, every tea leaf has carried that story.

But today, I need to share another story—the one of what it takes to keep a small, ethical business alive in the world we’re in.

On 1 September, our prices will increase.

This decision doesn’t come lightly. For months, we’ve been absorbing the rising costs of:

• Ethical Cacao: Prices have climbed sharply on the global market, and because we will not compromise on fair pay for our farmers, we cannot look for “cheaper” beans.

• Sustainable Packaging: The materials we use to stay zero-waste and kind to the earth are more expensive than ever.

• Taxes & Levies: Small businesses like ours are carrying a heavier load from new government charges.

We’ve carried these costs as long as we could, because we know how much every dollar matters in our community. But to continue offering you cacao that is vegan, ethical, zero-waste, and slave-free, we must now share that weight.

Many of you have asked us: “Why is your ceremonial grade cacao priced lower than other brands?”

The answer is simple—we are a very small team. Behind the scenes it’s literally just two of us, side by side in the factory each day, working hard to craft, pack, and send your cacao with care. It’s also this same tiny team creating our marketing, sharing our stories, and running events—with the support of our wider Koko Crew when they can step in.

Because of this, and because we source our beans directly from our farmers—our family, our community—we’ve been able to keep our prices lower. When you speak to us, you are speaking directly to those connected to the land, honouring our heritage and the people who have grown cacao for generations.

We also made a conscious choice: to keep our ceremonial grade more inclusive, accessible to a wider community who might otherwise be excluded from these deeply grounding practices.

I feel sadness in writing this, because I know price rises touch everyone. But I also feel something else—gratitude.

Gratitude that you have walked this path with us. Gratitude that you choose to support not just chocolate, but a movement. Every time you buy from Living Koko, you are investing in Pacific Island farmers, in cultural traditions, and in a way of doing business that puts people and the planet before profit.

We remain committed to transparency, to care, and to joy. And we remain here, creating with love.

Thank you for standing with us through every shift and challenge. Your support doesn’t just keep us going—it keeps this vision alive for future generations.

With love and respect,
Phoebe Preuss
Founder, Living Koko