This summer, HOLY CACAO turned two.
Somehow, between the day-to-day of building the brand, growing the team and working on everything in between, the milestone came and went without much time to stop and take it all in.
So, two months (and one very overdue margarita) later, it was a joy to take a moment to reflect in Episode 1 of The HOLY CACAO Podcast, as our incredible founder, Claudia, looked back at the last two years - from the pinch-me moments and biggest lessons to the person she's become along the way.
HOLY CACAO is officially two. How does it feel? Did you ever imagine reaching this point?
It’s wild. I've always known where I want the brand to go and I've believed in it so strongly from the beginning, but I don't think I've ever really thought about all the individual milestones along the way.
I tend to focus on where we're going rather than stopping to think, we've reached this point. I'm very much in the business and in the day-to-day of it.
I actually think not celebrating everything to the max keeps me quite level-headed. When you're running a business, things go wrong all the time. If you're constantly experiencing huge highs and then huge lows, it's not great for your nervous system, so I try to stay pretty level. I know where we're going.
What's been your biggest pinch-me moment so far?
When Em the Nutritionist first tagged us. It was such an early moment for the brand and it honestly felt surreal seeing someone I really respected and admired genuinely loving something I'd created - and continuing to love it ever since!
The second time she posted, I was actually in Bali. I remember sitting in a co-working space, taking a moment, sipping my coconut and just thinking, wow. It was a huge moment for me personally and for the brand.
What's one thing 2024 Claudia would find hardest to believe about where you are today?
That I have a team. Honestly, that still blows my mind. I thought so much about the journey and where I wanted the brand to go, but I don't think I ever really pictured the team that would grow alongside it.
The idea that something that started with me and an idea in my kitchen has now grown into something that other people are building alongside me is kind of crazy. It's so much bigger than just me now, and it’s exciting.
What are you most proud of?
Two things. The first is starting. I think it's brave for anyone to actually take action on an idea or a dream, and there are so many female founders I admire who inspired me to start.
There's a certain naivety that comes with starting a business. You don't really think about how challenging it's going to be, but you learn as you go, and you make it work.
But the second, and probably the thing I'm most proud of, is my mindset.
I've grown so much from the person I was on day one. I have a completely different level of confidence in myself now. The difference between who I was when I started HOLY CACAO and who I am today is night and day, and that makes me really proud.
What's been harder than you thought it would be?
Having a team. There's already so much to think about every single day when you're running a business, and then suddenly there are other people looking to you for direction and expecting you to know what happens next.
That's definitely been a learning curve, but community and team are so important.
And on the flip side, what's been easier than you expected?
The growth of the business - the places we're getting into and the people we're reaching.
We always joke that being slightly delusional is part of the marketing plan, but there is some truth in it. My mindset has always been, of course it's going to happen. We keep our focus and trust that things will unfold when they are supposed to.
Getting a product stocked by retailers is notoriously difficult. Getting in front of the right buyers is difficult, and so is building those relationships. But we've done that, and I’m so grateful for the connections I’ve made along the way.
So yes, we manifest. Yes, we're probably a little delusional. But there's also a huge amount of work happening behind the scenes to make those things happen.
You've always joked that the brand has her own personality. Who is she at two?
She's definitely been through her terrible twos! But I think she's becoming a teenager now. She's blossoming, she's figuring out who she is and becoming more confident every day.
I think the brand grows as we do, too - myself and the team included. The more confident we become in what we're building and where we're going, the more confident she becomes.
Energy feeds energy. And I think she's feeding off ours.
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