At Glasshouse, we believe true beauty is an alchemy—a balance of meticulous external care and deep internal nourishment. This philosophy finds its perfect partner in Cacao De Mer, the new ritual cacao launching in our wellness collection. We sat down founder, Launette, a wholefoods pioneer who has been shaping the raw chocolate movement since 2009. We discussed the surprising roots of her passion, the energetic distinction of ‘Ritual Cacao’ versus ‘Ceremonial Grade,’ and how this potent ‘heart medicine’ can be integrated into a busy, modern life to truly nourish and ground the spirit.

 

I. Raw Beginnings

Having grown up immersed in the principles of whole foods, how did your mother’s influence shape your foundational understanding of food, and eventually your commitment to becoming one of the early adopters of raw chocolate?

I was lucky that my mum caught the wholefoods wave of the 70s. The Cranks cookbooks, and the restaurant she used to visit in Covent Garden when she worked in central London, played a huge part in shaping how she cooked. As a mother, she found such pleasure in feeding people: cooking from scratch, making something beautiful from very little, and presenting meals with creativity and care.

My childhood wasn’t entirely health-food focused, though. As a single mother hosting foreign language students year-round, she adapted meals to suit everyone. But there were constants: homemade bread, homemade yoghurt, endless pulses, partly because they were affordable, partly because they were nourishing. Meals were always three courses, with artistically folded napkins, candles, and a sense of abundance.

I certainly strayed in my teens and early twenties, rarely cooking properly for myself. But during my art degree, living in West London with a vegetarian boyfriend, I rediscovered the pleasure of cooking, juicing, and being creative in the kitchen. That was in part thanks to great health food stores in that part of town. Perhaps it was also due to my age, realising that the way I nourished myself had a huge impact on how I felt. 

That interest peaked in 2008 when I stumbled upon the living-foods movement. I adopted new routines, new shopping habits, and, importantly, a new way of listening to my body. 

I found the constant research and experimenting very creative and very rewarding. 

As I’ve grown older, I’ve learned the value of eating seasonally, organically where possible, and honouring my own needs. And when I discovered a real love of raw cacao, I found myself thinking back to those early memories, going with my mum to an old-fashioned health shop in Hastings for carob drops. Pine shelves, glass jars, earthy smells. 

Sweets were rare, so those treats felt truly special. In some ways, cacao brought me full circle.

In 2009 you launched your first chocolate business. How did that evolve?

Yes. After becoming completely obsessed with raw cacao, almost overnight,  I began experimenting and taught myself how to make chocolate. Back then, there were only a handful of books and blogs to draw inspiration from, along with a small but vibrant London scene of potlucks, talks, and the occasional visiting health-food pioneer like David Wolfe, who championed cacao long before most.

The online world of living foods was still tiny, and most of the exciting developments seemed to be happening in the US. A few years later, I finally made my first pilgrimage to California, soaking up the food culture and returning home utterly inspired.

At the beginning, I offered samples to friends. Once I felt happy with my recipes, I started supplying shops and cafés, and selling at markets. I made little heart-shaped chocolates, hand-wrapped in boxes with labels designed by a friend, creative collaboration has always been one of the joys of this journey. I delivered everything by bike.

By 2010, I was teaching regular chocolate-making workshops, which I continued for over a decade. I slowed down when my twin boys were born, but I was always itching to return to it. Cacao has always been a medium of self-expression for me. When I teach, I see how it sparks creativity in others too, it’s endlessly inspiring.

By the end of 2010, I had invested in my first stone grinder and was making small-batch, bean-to-bar chocolate from a shared kitchen in Newington Green. There was a wonderful community of makers there; I look back on those days with so much fondness. It reinforced my belief that food has a powerful way of building community.

Alongside the chocolates and cakes, I also ran a series of supper clubs with my chef friend, Chris Massamba. Those evenings further rooted me in the role of feeding people and inviting them to think about nourishment in a new, more expansive way.

The Café

Running a café in North London in 2013 must have been formative. What did that era teach you about community, hospitality, and nourishing people beyond food?

I had such grand plans for that little space, but it was short-lived. The opportunity came out of the blue, and because I didn’t have much time to plan, I didn’t ask for the help I needed. Wearing too many hats in a small business can quickly become chaotic if you don’t delegate.

What I knew before and what I now understand even more deeply, is that I love feeding people and channelling creativity into food. I’ve always laboured over the details, not thinking first about profit, but about ingredients, nourishment, and how to make food into edible art. Function and beauty.

I wholeheartedly believe in the power of community. Food brings people together, just like music. Friends would come to the café or my supper clubs intending only to visit, and would end up staying for hours, helping, talking, connecting. Food creates conversation. It softens the space, opens people up. I think that kind of communal culture was missing in England for a long time, and it’s lovely to see it returning.

Ritual vs. Ceremony

You choose the phrase “Ritual Cacao” rather than “Ceremonial Grade.” What intention sits behind that distinction, and how do you hope people integrate Cacao De Mer into their own daily rituals?

I’ve written a little about this on the website. I prefer the word ritual because it feels accessible. It belongs to everyone. It can look like many different things.

I hope that a daily cup of cacao brings a sense of gentle anticipation, a deliberate pause in someone’s day. A moment to nourish themselves with intention and beauty. From the vessel they choose, to any additions, to the music playing, to the place they sit. It might be a quiet morning ritual, an outdoor moment in nature, or something enjoyed from a flask on the commute. Ritual can be simple, personal, and deeply grounding.

Heart Medicine

Cacao is often described as ‘heart medicine.’ In a culture obsessed with constant output, what emotional or energetic state do you hope a cup of your cacao invites?

We live in a world where “more is more,” where being busy is almost worn as a badge of honour. While I value a full and varied life, I know the consequences of not resting or nourishing myself.

Cacao offers a beautiful balance: it stimulates creativity and focus while also calming the system. It’s rich in minerals and mood-lifting compounds. I hope it brings people clarity, inspiration, renewed energy, and an open heart, all things we desperately need. A sense of kindness, compassion, and calm.

II. Rhythms, Energy, and East London

The Energy of the East End

You’ve spent years DJing in East London, a place with its own rhythm and pace. How does that energy inform the pace and energy of Cacao De Mer?

I lived in East London for years and still host a regular show on NTS Radio, which I began in 2011. The energy of London stays with you, even after you leave.

I naturally have a busy mind and a tendency to juggle too many things. The only way I can balance that is by taking time out in the kitchen — to nourish myself and ground my energy. Cacao was something I cherished throughout my twenties and early thirties, especially during late-night dancefloor adventures. It gave me stamina for cycling miles across the city, delivering chocolates, and generally burning the candle at both ends.

I’ve learned more balance in my forties, but the brand definitely comes from a deep understanding of busy lives, the need to prioritise rest, physical energy, and the kind of beauty that nourishes the soul.

Curating the Vibe

When you curate a playlist for the dance floor, you aim for momentum. When you curate a playlist for a cacao moment, what feeling are you trying to bottle?

One definitely needs to ‘read the room’ as a dj. For my NTS show, i try to consider the time of day my show is being aired. For a specific playlist like this: i can draw on my own experience. 

If it’s to be a morning cacao moment, some gentle yet energising sounds are most welcome. For an evening cacao, it might be soothing, more ambient music . There are also times when more upbeat, soulful music is required, if having a pre-disco cacao!

For the glasshouse mix, i’ve tried to create a musical journey. Hopefully I have included some tracks that people won’t have heard before, perhaps some soothing and familiar songs as well as some lyrics to evoke a smile!

III. Motherhood, Downtime, and Flow

The Art of Pause

As a founder and mother of twins, real downtime is precious. What are the non-negotiable elements of your personal cacao practice?

My motherhood has shifted a lot in the past two years, with my boys now spending half their time with me, alongside my partner’s two children. Some days are very structured, my Virgo side, with movement, hydration, music or a podcast, then coffee before I begin work. 

Cacao is usually an afternoon or evening ritual for me. That doesn’t suit everyone, as cacao can be stimulating, but I love the mellow bitterness of 100% cacao in the evening. The magnesium helps me unwind.

Weekends and holidays can be wonderfully chaotic with a house full of pre-teens, constant meals, snacks, noise, dashing around. On those days, cacao feels especially potent: it soothes my sweet craving and gives me the clarity and sustained energy to navigate the chaos.

When my boys were small, I cherished my creative kitchen time when they were at kindergarten and then school. They loved watching the chocolate making process and they’ve enjoyed honey-sweetened, reishi-infused frothy chocolate since they were tiny. I have so many sweet photos of them, white-blonde curls and chocolate moustaches.

Micro-Moments of Self-Care

What is the most important part of your self-care routine, and how does a cup of Cacao De Mer complement that sacred window?

I absolutely love walking in nature. We lived in the middle of the Ashdown Forest for years, and among the ferns, trees, and shifting seasons is where I gathered my thoughts, moved my body, and found inspiration, especially for my photography. Sometimes in winter I’d take a flask of cacao with me. 

Now, living by the sea, I walk first and then have a cup on my return, the perfect replenishment!

IV. The Salon Launch and Aesthetics

Beauty, Inside Out

The salon environment is rooted in radiance and luxury. How does Cacao De Mer complement that internally?

What we consume affects how we feel, emotionally and physically. When you consciously choose natural, organic beauty and hair care, you naturally become more aware of what you put inside your body too.

For me, inner and outer beauty are inseparable. I wouldn’t use heavily fragranced or chemical-laden products on my skin or hair, so it makes sense to choose pure, organic cacao for my own nourishment.

I love that Glasshouse already offers beautiful herbal infusions. I imagine their clients who haven’t yet discovered ritual cacao will be excited to integrate something new into their wellbeing routines. The mineral content alone offers so many benefits, inside and out.

Making your own cup of cacao also invites creativity, adding honey, spices, sea salt, exploring Chinese, Ayurvedic or native herbs, functional mushrooms, even edible flowers.

The Festive Intention

Launching this collection before Christmas is perfect timing. What feeling do you hope cacao brings to clients choosing it over a glass of champagne during the festive rush?

Cacao is incredibly grounding. This time of year can be overwhelming, work deadlines, school events, social gatherings, gift prep, long to-do lists, and shorter days.

A cup of cacao brings you back into your body. It gently lifts the spirit, offering sustained energy and mental clarity. A welcome pause in the festive whirlwind! 

If you had to describe the aesthetic of Cacao De Mer in the salon, in three words?

Beauty, Nature, Decadence.

Launette’s final words beautifully capture the essence of this launch. Cacao De Mer is far more than just a luxurious alternative to coffee or champagne; it is an invitation to pause, ground your energy, and welcome Beauty, Nature, and Decadence into your daily routine. We encourage you to enhance your own ritual by listening to Laura's specially curated Glasshouse playlist, designed for focus and calm.

 

Due to our upcoming Christmas closure, we have a limited number of Cacao De Mer pouches available in the Glasshouse Wellness collection. Honour your self-care during the festive rush—shop now before they are gone. 

Images; Jessica Maccormick