Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Justice Klein. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Justice , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
About 3 years ago I went on a yoga plant medicine retreat in the Sacred Valley, Peru. During those 8 days in the Andes I fell in love with the land, the people, & the way of life there. I was drawn to this place more than I have ever felt before. I could see myself settling down there and becoming a member of the community I adored. I began to envision myself living in Peru.
When I returned to the states the call to return to Peru was louder than ever and I knew I had to take a chance and discover what was in store for me. Before I left the states, I had been working with ceremonial cacao for about 4 years. At this point, I felt it was time to look for a high-quality cacao supplier so I could share this plant medicine in a bigger way with my community. My trip to Peru, as well as the call for my return, led me to this source, and my return travel was entirely for that purpose.
My plan was to strengthen my bond with this plant and create a business. I began planning my move to the sacred valley, and in just a few months, I packed my whole life into two suitcases and bought a one way ticket for this once-in-a-lifetime adventure.
As I spent time there I started to see the love and connection even more that the locals had with the earth. In the Andes they have the highest respect for this planet. To them they considered her our mother. Each plant has its own essence, its own soul, each with their own lesson to bestow upon us. To learn from the community in this way just made this business pulse with even more purpose. This is something so valuable the States are missing, being close to Mother earth and all her medicines.
What went from being the biggest risk of my life soon transformed into the greatest mission. I will forever cherish this leap of faith & this call to something bigger. Because now I am living out this mission every day, sharing the message of this plant medicine and the medicine of this earth. And after a few months, the perfect source was gifted to me. From there, I began to grow my business, which is now known as Cacao & I.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
Cacao & I is a fair-trade ceremonial cacao company founded with pure intention. The company was founded in October of 2020 with my earth community in mind. My mission was to bring this extremely beneficial plant to more people while also providing a consistent source for my community. I’ve dedicated the last eight years of my life to the study of this plant medicine and witnessing the numerous benefits it provides to myself and those around me. Everything we do, I believe, has an impact on our collective. This is why one of the pillars is sustainability, which ensures that everything we create and send out is eco-friendly and contributes to the earth rather than depletes it.
We also want to honor those who have carried this medicine’s message for millennia, as well as the cacao lineage and its origin, by elevating cacao-related ceremonies and rituals. Cacao teaches us to take our time and be mindful of what we put into our bodies and how we consume it. We care for our planet, our community, and all living things in between. We are here to start a health movement by demonstrating to others that with the help of plant medicine, it is possible to feel vibrant, alive, and rejuvenated. We want people to rediscover their vitality in body, mind, and spirit, and to reconnect with the earth with which we share our home.
What sets us apart from the competition is our willingness to prioritize the environment. We took the time to make sure that every step, every inch of this project contributes in some way to the earth from which we are taking. This project is entirely environmentally friendly. One of our favorite features is that every package we ship contributes to global restoration. Taking care of our brothers and sisters, working with fair-trade prices, and giving back to the small village where our cacao is harvested are all top priority at Cacao & I. We make certain that no village we work with or the resources the earth provides us are never overlooked.
This is more than just a business that sells cacao, we create intentional spaces for our community to gather in ceremony, retreats, & expand their knowledge in the plant medicine realm. Creating a space where people can experience this plant medicine & the way it can work with in their lives in a pure way. These spaces allow for people to be educated on the origin story of cacao, which we find to be most of the links missing when practices are borrowed from the indengous communities. We are not here to claim this medicine as ours but to bring people back to the ancient ways of our ancestors with the utmost respect.
We are so proud to see this plant medicine reach people all over the world. It is an ever expanding web that weaves our collective closer together in unity. We are here to show people a way to live in alliance with the earth and all the medicines she provides. Our hope is to spark remembrance of how much we have at our feet to heal and feel healthy and alive in our body, mind, & spirit.
Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?
Unwavering trust. Trusting that the mission of this business is bigger than my doubts, bigger than any limiting beliefs. Trust is the driving force that keeps me going. If something doesn’t go as planned, which in any business is a challenge that you will face, there is a moment where you can choose to spiral and think everything is failing or choose to take the situation at hand and use it as an amplifier for what is next. Choosing to see things from a place of trust allows space for the business to reach new dimensions you probably didn’t think were possible. When we try to control, we are not trusting in the bigger vision and can sometimes suffocate what is incomprehensible for our human mind at that moment because we have never been there before. Unwavering trust means trusting no matter the circumstances, this has been a catalyst for substantial growth.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
Growing up in school, we were often assigned group projects. I hated this. I always ended up doing the whole assignment on my own, because I knew I could. This ingrained a belief that I had to do it all alone. That I did not need support from anyone to complete a task at hand. Although this worked for me during those times, it started to get heavy within my business. It created more stress, more time dedicated to learning new skills, and less time doing what I loved. Which is why a lot of us start our own business. To do what we love!! Right?! So I learned a little life hack….OUTSOURCING. Ask for help! You are not alone and many people have been through the trials and errors set forth in starting and keeping a business running. We each have our zone of genius where we thrive, where we are fully immersed, and the energy is there. And then we try to do something out of that zone and end up attempting to learn a new skill or program that someone else has dedicated their time and passion to learn. It’s ok to ask for help. It’s ok to not know it all. Do what you love & allow others to do what they love. We are here to help each other and learn from one another. I know for me, personally, it was hard to start asking for help in the beginning due to my ego thinking I can do it all. But the fact of the matter is, you don’t have to.
Contact Info:
- Website: cacaoandi.com
- Instagram: Cacaoandi
Image Credits
@Currents_creatives Currentscreative.com