Work Inspiration From Portugal

On my first trip to Portugal (read more about that HERE), there were many takeaways for my work. My main inspiration came from the passion from the people for their history, culture, food, and nature, the very simple, fresh, and delicious food, and the hand-painted tiles on the beautiful old buildings.

All of this, and a bottle of Port wine from Port, Portugal, came home with me and are going into the chocolates and my business at Choco le`a.

You’ll see this summer, we plan to re-launch our tours and they will mainly be led by me. When going on tour with John and Riu in Lisbon and Sintra, their passion for food and nature, culture, history, and people, were highlights of the trip. The time spent with them made me eager to be in their shoes and share my same passion for my people, Hawai`i, chocolate, and business with travelers seeking an experience, some intimate conversations, and to learn and grow.

You’ll see the inspiration from this trip turn into action hopefully in May.

That’s the thing I love about taking some time away and experiencing something new. It always refreshes me for work and gives me an opportunity to see things from a different point of view. While there, I was looking for anything super special with a story, made in Portugal, to bring back home. It put me in the position of those that save so much to come to Hawai`i, looking for an incredible experience of good quality, authentically made in Hawai`i gifts to share with a story. That’s what I want Choco le`a to be for them and something that can really represent our home and our people well.

finding peace by piece:

When you need a creative spark or some inspiration for work, get out of the office, away from your desk, and talk to people somewhere new. Experience something new. That doesn’t always require a whole trip. It could be just one community over, taking some chocolates to share to help you connect and start a conversation.