Tuesday, June 9, 2020
Well…. time flies! I think it was a couple of months ago now that I came up with the idea of featuring my friends’ creative small businesses on my blog – so that my readers could choose to support them (if they were so inclined) during this unpredictable time. I decided to start publishing this series today and expect I will feature two to four small businesses a month, until I run out of ideas!
I can’t think of a better business to feature (in my first ever “Friends of Lead Safe Mama” post!) than the Portland Chocolate Laboratory (Chakralot.com) owned by our friends Ayomide and Kian (pictured above) and run out of a small storefront in a shop around the corner from our home in the quaint and historic Sellwood neighborhood of Portland!
We know Ayomide and Kian because our sons are good friends. Our boys have been friends since 7th grade, but it feels like their son (Z.) has been part of our family forever. The boys love collaborating musically, and going on adventures in the world (and plan on continuing to do so for years to come)!
Continue reading below the picture!
A.J. & Z. in 2017, on a sledding trip!
If you’re looking for an incredible business to support with your purchases, and you are in the mood for some magical chocolate creations, look no farther! Not only will you be tasting their amazing chocolates (including many vegan, cane sugar-free delicious options), you will also be supporting a woman-owned / family-owned-and-operated, local (Portland, Oregon), small business.
I won’t try to describe their wonderful chocolates here – you will just have to order some and try them and let them speak for themselves! YUM! My kids are big fans of their creations (especially my son Avi, who has adopted a vegan and cane-sugar-free diet!). Check out all of their product images below. Also, here’s the direct link to their website: https://www.chakralot.com
What about chocolate and Lead?
Since this is the Lead Safe Mama blog, I knew I had to answer this question up front (or I am certain I would have heard it from my readers in the comments!). From a Lead-perspective, while I don’t have the technology to test food items – such as chocolates – myself [which requires ultra-sensitive laboratory analyzers capable of detecting single-digit parts per billion!], purchasing U.S.A–domestic, handmade small-batch chocolates from a reputable chocolatier who personally knows the source of their ingredients (and combines them herself) is a great place to start!
As always, thank you for reading and sharing my posts. Please share these “Friends of Lead Safe Mama” posts far and wide during this complicated and challenging time, to support small business owners (and in turn help them to support their families.)
Thank you.
Tamara Rubin
#LeadSafeMama
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