Cacao Bliss at Anandamide
Anandamide : Psychedelicatessen. These two words have been circulating my brain. How do I pronounce them? What do they mean? Who are they? What do they offer? To put it simply, Anandamide is a chemical that’s naturally produced in the brain whenever you experience joy or bliss (ananda is Sanskrit for joy, bliss, delight). How amazing is that?! And guess what—it only naturally occurs in one other place on the planet and that’s in cacao. Chocolate Bliss for everyone! 
Anandamide is also a rad shop in Long Beach that serves the most flavorful raw vegan chocolates around. For the past few years, Anandamide has been creating superpower delicious “sustainable chocolate.” With an insatiable need to explore superfoods and their flavors, they specialize in raw chocolate and fudge, but also serve delicious milkshakes, coconut kefir, fermented veggies and the occasional raw wrap or sandwich. We checked out their shop in Long Beach and our mouths watered with anticipation for what was about to come, but first—knowledge. 
The rich smell of cacao filled the room as Justin Hansohn, founder and chocolatier, sat down and shared more about this unique psycedelicatessen. 
Anandamide uses high quality ingredients harvested straight out of the jungle. They work with a distributor who also sources and packages all of David Wolfe’s products- high integrity and direct from the source. The walls are painted a retro checkerboard and their stone-ground, wildcrafted chocolate is displayed on ceramic plates custom made just for the shop. Psychedelic art caught my eye and music lifted my spirits. They get it—art, chocolate, good music, what more could you ask for? After having a few different partners who helped create the business, Justin now works with Warren Hellerud and a few others. When they opened, Justin made glittery stickers that said “Psychedelicatessen” and people loved it. 
“Nobody here in Long Beach is promoting these high powered foods—stuff that really affects your brain chemistry and your body chemistry, so we kept on rolling with Psychedelicatessen. We could never just call ourselves a chocolate store or a candy store because there’s such a wide variety that we promote. We want to leave it open for interpretation.” The shop shares property with the nonprofit, New Being Project, that serves as a spiritual school- a collection of conscious people creating together. At New Being Project, Justin practices how to clear emotions and effectively communicate. We love that Anandamide focuses on this- it elevates their relationships and the overall vibe in their shop. Anandamide is much more than a chocolate shop, psychedelicatessen, or whatever you choose to call them. It is a sacred place, meant to enrich the lives of people through these superpower foods. Sweets can be a sensitive subject for many of us recovering sugar addicts, but Anandamide offers an amazing alternative to the normal sugar filled candies that flood our stores. The thoughtful intention behind Anandamide brings chocolate bliss to everyone who walks through their doors.
