This is about chocolate. But we can see from its story that this is not just about any ordinary chocolate.

Chika Kamata had always felt drawn to lotus, which produces a beautiful flower from mud (*1). In 2015, she established a company LOTUS CONCEPT, which sells ‘lotus’ related goods by mail-order. When Chika was struggling with the company’s management, she was given some stern words by Yutaka Takayanagi, with whom she just became acquainted – ‘What do you really want to promote and do with your company?’ As per Mr Takayanagi’s advice, Chika then tried to develop new lotus-themed products of her own such as Renkon lotus root candy and lotus tea. However, none of them really sold well.

Around that time, Chika spoke with Tomoe Yamaguchi over the telephone. Tomoe is the Director of the NPO Lotus based in Aizuwakamatsu City in Fukushima Prefecture, who she met through the lotus connection. Chika told Tomoe about her idea. ‘I would like to donate a part of sales to an orphans’ home to give children a hope or dream’. It was 2016. Chika, actually, holds an abhorrent childhood memory of sexual abuse. Due to her own experience of her life being affected by being hurt by adults she trusted, Chika was thinking whether there is something she can do for children. Tomoe replied ‘I was just thinking to start organising ‘Mokuiku Caravan’, an educational programme for children at an orphans’ home using wooden toys’. Chika and Tomoe shared tears for this coincidence that they were both thinking about doing something for children at the same time. This led them to establish ‘Lotus Project’ together for children at an orphans’ home.

This made Chika focus even more onto her job. ‘I really need more powerful items for our project!’

Coincidently, then, she encountered a chocolate ‘MAROU’. It is a chocolate using cacao from Vietnam, the country of lotus. Lately we often hear news about some cacao farms using child labour for unfair pay. However this Vietnamese chocolate is made of cacao produced without child exploitation. ‘This is it!’ Chika felt by intuition. Finally the keyword ‘chocolate’ came up to the surface. It was January 2017.

Chika’s action thereafter was quick. She raised JPY ¥1,300,000 from 93 supporters through crowdfunding. She asked Natsuyo Kaneda of Café Komatsu Machiya Bunko to join the team, and they carefully selected ingredients and produced a unique chocolate. Having Yutaka Takayanagi as a planner, she discussed about the brand identity with a designer and a package maker. She then opened a web shop in September 2017.
It was July 2018 when a physical shop opened. The first Bean to Bar shop ‘love lotus’ was born.
Chika projected her childhood experience onto the lotus flower, and it connected her with Vietnam. And it is such a strange destiny that this connection led her to meet a chocolate. She wishes many people can taste this chocolate which is produced with ‘conscience’. Chika keeps devoting herself to ‘Ichigu wo Terasu (illuminate a corner)’ (*2) – to illuminate children’s hope, courage and dreams.

*1. ‘Lotus flower out of mud’ (from ‘Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra’)
A metaphor of attitude for living. Even though living in an unhappy environment, you will not let it affect your life and you live purely and lawfully, just like a pure lotus flower coming out beautifully from mud.

*2. ‘Illuminate a corner’
A word of Saicho (766/767 – 822), a Japanese Buddhist monk credited with founding the Tendai school of Buddhism, and its temple and headquarters at Enryaku-ji on Mount Hiei near Kyoto. Ichigu (a corner) means where you are right now. This word suggests that no matter what kind of environment you are in, you always work the hardest you can and try your best at any place given to you.

‘love lotus’ chocolate
– Bean to Bar chocolate, made from cacao beans (Bean to Bar means a small-batch production in one factory, from buying and grating beans to producing chocolate). The cacao beans are ‘single origin, single bean’ from Stone Hill Farm in Vietnam. The farm doesn’t use child labour, child exploitation nor agricultural chemicals and chemical fertiliser. The only ingredients to be added are brown sugar from Kikaijima Island and carefully selected spices.

– Raw chocolate that is made under 48 degrees centigrade without using sugar, emulsifier or vegetable oil. Coarsely ground cacao beans are set with brown sugar by mixing for a short time in a stone mill so that it doesn’t get to a high temperature. With this method, the chocolate is achieved without breaking the aròma of the very best cacao beans, and the good nutrient, which is called God’s food.

– The work of skinning cacao beans is designated to a local work place for disabled people in Kanazawa to support disabled people’s opportunity to work.

– A portion of the sales of ‘love lotus’ products is being donated to Lotus Project, which manages a tree-growing activity of the NPO Lotus in Fukushima for children in an orphans’ home.

– In the café, as well as chocolate, we can also enjoy iced organic coffee, hot chocolate, chocolate croissant, cacao Ohagi, and drinks such as sherry, whisky, wine or Sake with chocolate.