PLP and Ritual Chocolate
Anna Seear and Robbie Stout
RITUAL CHOCOLATE IS PROUD TO PARTNER WITH ONLY HUMAN TO BRING AWARENESS TO HUMAN RIGHTS AND CELEBRATE OUR FRIENDS IN THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY. ONLY HUMAN FOCUSES ON DOING GOOD SO THAT TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE, SPREAD POSITIVE MESSAGES, AND GIVE BACK. TOGETHER, WE CREATED A LIMITED EDITION MID MOUNTAIN BLEND 70% CHOCOLATE BAR TO COMMEMORATE PRIDE MONTH THIS JUNE.
WITH EVERY PURCHASE OF OUR PRIDE BAR, 25% OF PROCEEDS WILL BE DONATED TO THE NON-PROFIT PRIDE & LESS PREJUDICE. WE ARE EXCITED TO COLLABORATE WITH ONLY HUMAN TO HELP RAISE FUNDS AND AWARENESS FOR THEIR CAUSES BECAUSE WE BELIEVE IN THEIR MISSION.
WE FOUNDED RITUAL AS A VALUE-BASED COMPANY IN THE BEGINNING, AND ONLY HUMAN’S CORE VALUES ARE RIGHT IN LINE WITH OURS.
ONLY HUMAN MISSION STATEMENT: “ONLY HUMAN IS A COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION FUELED BY KINDNESS AND SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP. WE BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF HUMANS COMING TOGETHER TO HELP MOVE US ALL FORWARD IN THE WAYS THAT TRULY MATTER. BRING YOUR BROKEN PARTS, YOUR STRUGGLES, AND YOUR RAW SELVES. ALL ARE WELCOME—COME AS YOU ARE.”
“BE A GOOD HUMAN” WE’VE ALWAYS BELIEVED THAT WE CAN MAKE A POSITIVE IMPACT ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE AND LIVELIHOOD OF EVERYONE THAT WE INTERACT WITH AS A BUSINESS. WHETHER IT’S THE COCOA GROWERS OR OUR CUSTOMERS, WE BELIEVE THAT OUR BUSINESS MODEL OF PAYING COCOA GROWERS FAIRLY AND PRODUCING GREAT CHOCOLATE IN ENVIRONMENTALLY CONSCIOUS PACKAGING BENEFITS EVERYONE ALONG THE SUPPLY CHAIN ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE FINAL CONSUMER.
“COME AS YOU ARE” THIS IS THE CORE VALUE THAT I MOST IDENTIFY WITH. WHETHER YOU’RE LGBTQ+ OR DEALING WITH MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES, WE ALL HAVE OUR OWN CHALLENGES IN LIFE. HUMANS AREN’T PERFECT AND THAT’S WHAT MAKES US HUMAN. IT’S IMPORTANT THAT WE UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER AS INDIVIDUALS, WHO MAY BE COPING WITH TRAUMA, DEALING WITH CRIPPLING DEPRESSION, BRAIN INJURIES, ANXIETY, YOU NAME IT AND THAT NONE OF US CAN BE PERFECT ALL THE TIME. AS A PRODUCER OF CHOCOLATE, WHICH IS MADE BY HAND, PERFECTION IS AN ILLUSION, WHICH IS WHAT MAKES US “CRAFT” OR “ARTISANAL”. ALL OF OUR CHOCOLATE IS MADE, MOLDED, AND PACKAGED BY PEOPLE, WHICH MEANS NO TWO BARS WILL BE EXACTLY ALIKE (YOU MAY NOT BE ABLE TO FIND ANY DIFFERENCES). A LARGER, MECHANIZED PRODUCER MIGHT LOOK AT THESE DIFFERENCES AS MISTAKES, BUT TO US, IT’S WHAT REFLECTS THE SOUL OF OUR PRODUCT. IN LIFE, WE ALL MAKE MISTAKES EVENTUALLY AND THEY CAN SOMETIMES BECOME PART OF WHO WE ARE, BUT IT DOESN’T MEAN WE’RE BROKEN OR FAULTY, WE’RE JUST PERFECTLY HUMAN, JUST AS EACH OF OUR BARS IS PERFECTLY HANDMADE.
“BETTER TOGETHER” SURVIVING IN LIFE AND MAKING LOTS OF VERY GOOD CHOCOLATE BOTH REQUIRE TEAMWORK AND COLLABORATION. DESPITE WHAT YOU MAY FEEL SOMETIMES, GETTING THROUGH LIFE WITH A SUPPORT NETWORK IS MUCH MORE ENJOYABLE THAN TRYING TO GO IT ALONE. AT RITUAL, IT’S ALL ABOUT OUR TEAM. WE STARTED OUT AS JUST TWO FOUNDERS, BUT IT’S TAKEN THE EFFORTS OF OUR GROWING TEAM OVER THE YEARS TO MAKE RITUAL THE SUCCESS THAT IT IS TODAY. IN LIFE AND IN CHOCOLATE, COLLABORATION IS BETTER THAN ISOLATION.
“MAKE WAVES” MAKING A POSITIVE CHANGE IN THE WORLD TAKES BOLD MOVES. BUILDING A VALUE-BASED CHOCOLATE COMPANY FROM THE GROUND UP IS A DARING AND NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TASK. AS IDEALISTIC, YOUNG THINKERS LIVING IN BOULDER, COLORADO BACK IN 2009, WE REALIZED THAT THE BEST WAY TO MAKE A POSITIVE DIFFERENCE IN THIS WORLD IS THROUGH AN ORGANIZATION, SUCH AS A CHOCOLATE COMPANY. THROUGH CHOCOLATE, WE’RE ABLE TO IMPACT SO MANY MORE LIVES AND TO A MUCH GREATER EXTENT THAN WE EVER COULD HAVE AS JUST INDIVIDUALS.
“LIGHT THE WAY” IN A WORLD WHERE THERE ARE INFINITE WAYS TO BE HURT OR TO FEEL PAIN, IT’S IMPORTANT THAT WE ALL TRY TO BE A LIGHTHOUSE FOR OTHERS. TO OUR EMPLOYEES, WE WANT TO HELP THEM EVOLVE AND GROW WITHIN THE COMPANY AS WELL AS PEOPLE. FOR OUR CUSTOMERS, WE AIM TO SHARE WHAT INSPIRES US THROUGH OUR VARIOUS CHANNELS OF COMMUNICATION AND WE’RE HERE TO PROVE THAT DELICIOUS CHOCOLATE CAN BE ENJOYED GUILT-FREE.
“NEVER STOP GROWING” IF THERE IS ONE MOTTO THAT WE HAVE ALWAYS FOLLOWED HERE AT RITUAL, IT’S THE MOTTO OF “CONSISTENT IMPROVEMENT.” OVER THE LAST 12 YEARS, WE’VE AIMED TO BE BETTER IN EVERY WAY WITH EACH PASSING YEAR. WE’VE MADE MISTAKES ALONG THE WAY, BUT THANKFULLY WE WERE ABLE TO LEARN FROM THEM. SOMETIMES IT MIGHT NOT FEEL LIKE WE’RE MAKING PROGRESS, BUT THAT’S WHEN IT’S MOST IMPORTANT TO JUST KEEP PUTTING ONE FOOT IN FRONT OF THE OTHER, DESPITE HOW DIFFICULT IT MAY BE. AS HUMANS, THAT’S THE ONLY WAY TO KEEP MOVING FORWARD THROUGH LIFE. THERE ARE UPS, THERE ARE DOWNS, AND TAKING BREAKS IS OK, BUT NEVER STOP GROWING.
