Zenbunni—a small-batch chocolate company out of Los Angeles—was, obviously, started by Zen and Bunni, a fashion designer (him) and photographer (her) who met on a photo shoot sixteen years ago. After they married and moved to Topanga Canyon, the couple got hooked on the raw-food movement. And it wasn’t long before they’d developed an interest in biodynamic farming, too: The agricultural approach, which harks back to ancient methods, includes planting and harvesting in accordance to moon cycles and treating the soil in a very specific way, with the goal of enriching the seed. The result, say adherents, is better-grown produce, potent in vitamins and minerals, and not just devoid of toxic fertilizers, like organic farming systems, but enhanced to peak health.
Soon, Zen and Bunni (who now had a daughter named Alchemy on the way) were committed to eating like this themselves and, together, they decided to see if they could make chocolate from entirely biodynamic ingredients. “At the time, there weren’t any good raw-food desserts,” explains Bunni. They began selling their signature paper-wrapped chocolate squares and couldn’t keep them in stock; eventually, they found themselves collaborating on one-off recipes with like-minded Los Angeles locals, from lifestyle blogger Shiva Rose to Moon Juice founder Amanda Chantal Bacon.
Sourced from all over the world, Zenbunni chocolate is made from cacao beans that haven’t been overheated, in order to preserve their naturally occurring antioxidants; vitamin C; and minerals such as sulfur. The team slow-grinds the beans and makes each bar in the presence of crystals for positive energy (a small crystal also comes in each box). Among the blends: There’s a decadent Lost Salt of Atlantis Bar with an added spirulina protein, and an antioxidant-rich Rejuvenation Bar made with calendula, schisandra berries, and carrot seed oil and dusted in powdered pearl (all of which, the couple says, works from the inside out to heal the lipid layers of your skin). The crunchy Cali Almond bar, they add, contains organic certified biodynamic nuts sourced from nearby Fresno and is full of vitamin E. “We realized that chocolate was such an easy way to talk about health,” says Zen. “When you give someone a piece and it tastes really good, people’s ears perk up.”
If you can’t make it to their rabbit hole (an earthy enclave tucked down a discreet alleyway in Venice’s Abbott Kinney), bars are available at ABC Carpet & Home, Jack’s Stir Brew Coffee, and CAP Beauty in the West Village. For those headed to New York Fashion Week, the company’s Extra Dark Kogi bar—said to enhance mood and help decrease blood pressure—should not be overlooked.
The post Head Out to Fashion Week With This in Your Pocket: Zenbunni’s Healthy Raw Chocolate Treats appeared first on Vogue.
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