My Story
Hello! Thank you so much for your interest in lalla.
My name is Nadae (pronounced nada), I'm 35 and have been a chocolate lover since… forever. There hasn't been a day in my life without chocolate.
I grew up in Morocco, studied engineering in France, lived in Canada, Australia and Costa Rica, before settling in London 5 years ago, working in strategy & operations. I'm an avid traveller, passionate about discovering different cultures, culinary customs, and traditions relating to chocolate.
In every country I have travelled to or lived in, tasting locally made chocolate was always a priority, and my suitcase or pantry has never been short of at least three-four chocolate bars…
It's always been about dark chocolate for me; that's because I'm fascinated by the complexity of cacao. Much like wine, the aromas of the end product differ incredibly depending on variety of cacao tree, but also land, ecosystem, production process. Isn’t that incredible?
Dairy does not agree with me, hence why I have had to stick to bars most of my life (chocolate bars tend to have less dairy). However, like most of us, I crave creaminess as a texture, and therefore have always been on the lookout for delicious vegan truffles...
This is how lalla came about: I wanted to create a really tasty truffle that melts in your mouth, that is free of dairy, is cacao-rich, and made sustainably with minimal, natural organic ingredients.
Flavours are sensual, filled with mesmerising aromas, adventure and love - inspired by my childhood in warm and hospitable Morocco, as well as my travels around the world.
In 2018, I took a sabbatical year and went to Central America to teach yoga and practice mindfulness. During that year I spontaneously completed a vegan culinary apprenticeship in the Costa Rican jungle.
This experience was instrumental in determining my purpose. I realised that lalla was bigger than truffles… By mindfully incorporating cacao-rich chocolate into intuitive self-care practices, I learned that mental and physical health go hand in hand, and that we do not have to compromise between wellbeing and indulgence.
My aim is to make self-love a simple and accessible daily ritual for all.
I hope you love my handmade truffles. Most importantly, I hope you can find joy, peace and balance in your everyday life.
Lots love,
Nadae