At Monk Cacao, we have big dreams, but we’re not pretending to be something we’re not. We’d love to be a big business, but the truth is, we’re a small, family-owned operation. There are no investors backing us, and as demand for our Superfood Wellness Blend grows, we sometimes find ourselves juggling the ever-present challenge of cash flow.
So, what does all this really look like behind the scenes?
It’s a Family Affair When you see our logo, know that it wasn’t crafted by some fancy design agency. It was created by my sister, who we roped into the project (and possibly bribed with a promise of endless cacao blend). Our brand is built on the goodwill of family and friends. We’ve called in more favors than we can count, and sometimes, those favors stretch into multiple asks - because when you’re a small business, every bit of help matters.
Getting Creative with Resources Running a family business often means getting creative with resources. For us, it’s about convincing our children, who range from late teen to early adult in age, to help out, whether that means packing orders or sticking labels on packs. And speaking of labels, there’s the last minute rush to Officeworks for a print run when we run out of them. Every label is a reminder of the hustle that goes into getting our product to you.
Handcrafted with Love When we say our Superfood Wellness Blend is handcrafted, we mean it. Our products are literally made and packed by hand, with care and attention to detail at a shared industrial kitchen space a short distance from home. This also means that, yes, our products fall on the higher end of the price scale. Without the economies of scale that big companies enjoy, our ingredient costs are a little higher, but we believe the care we take in ensuring the best organic ingredients are sourced, the meticulous blending process and getting our product into your hands comes through with every sip of it you take.
The Unpolished Reality There’s absolutely no glamour in this journey. We’ve sold some personal stuff to help fund the business, relied on friends and family (like yourselves) to ‘charity buy’ our products when we first launched, and we’re okay with the fact that sometimes, our business might appear a bit unpolished. But what we lack in polish, we make up for in consistency and quality.
Why Do We Do It? Because we believe in what we’re doing. We believe that eventually, this venture will be successful. We truly believe that people who give our products a try will not only love it, but will truly benefit from them, which is ultimately the 'why' of our business - to make healthy choices easier.
We know this won’t happen overnight. We’re in this for the long game, and we’re committed to improving and growing, step by step. We invite you to join us on this journey, to support a small business with big dreams, and to enjoy the products that we pour our hearts into.
Welcome to Monk Cacao. We’re not big, but we’re here, and we’re working hard to bring you something special.