A Bite of Nama Chocolate Story

Dear one, do you believe it?
A small piece of chocolate can make you stop.
Make time stop.

——

Thirteen years ago, we were in Malaysia.
A very hot place.
So hot that even breathing felt humid.

We made a rather foolish decision:
Only make Nama Chocolate.
Nothing else.

Like someone deciding to only love one person.
Others thought it was foolish.
We knew it was worth it.

We tried over fifty types of cocoa.
From this land to that land.
And with different ingredients, different foods, we refined the recipes over and over again.
Like refining a relationship, you can't rush it.

Thirteen years.
Over a hundred flavors of Nama Chocolate recipe.

Some said, you're crazy.
It's just a piece of chocolate.

But do you know?
We just wanted to find that "just right."
So "just right" that the moment you bite into it, you quietly say to yourself:
Ah, this is the taste.
Ah, this is the feeling.

Not too much.
Not too little.
It's truly delicious.

Like meeting someone.
Not many words are needed.
Just standing there, you feel at ease.

——

In 2025, we came to Shanghai.

Shanghai is so big.
So big that when one walks into it, it's like a drop of water falling into the sea.
But we didn't go to the busiest places.

We went to Hengsha Island.

There's wind there.
Quiet water.
Paddy fields, bird calls.
That kind of air that makes you want to breathe deeply.

We stood there for a long time.
Suddenly, time seemed to slow down.
Slow enough to hear our own heartbeats.

We found ourselves there.

Serenity.
Simplicity.
Delicacy.

Three words.
Like three seeds planted in our hearts.

Hengsha is not just a place.
It's a state of mind. It's an artistic conception. It's an inner self.
It's that feeling when you can finally stop and take a good look at yourself.

——

That entire year, we weren't in a hurry to open a store.

Slowly adjusting flavors.
Slowly building the supply chain.
Slowly waiting.

We invited people to taste.
Once, twice, a hundred times.

After tasting, they said:
Delicious.
So smooth.
Very touching.

We heard them, and our eyes welled up.
Do you know?
When someone says "delicious," they truly like it.
It's not being polite.
It's not manners.
It's their heart, truly moved.

——

In November 2025, we tried to begin our soft opening.

No ribbon-cutting.
No flower baskets.
No grand opening ceremony.

On Wukang Road, at the weekend market of the former Italian Embassy, we set up a small stall.
Very small.
So small that you might miss it.

But when we handed you the chocolate,
we were very serious.

Only saying one thing:
"Have a taste."

Then we quietly stood by.
Watching you take the first bite.

Some were stunned.
Like remembering something from a long time ago.
Some looked down at the chocolate in their hands, their eyes sparkling.
Some smiled.
A light smile, like the wind.

Some finished, said nothing.
And took another piece.

At that moment, I knew,
What we were doing was right.

——

Four months later.
We were slowly remembered.

Like a tree, slowly taking root.
Quietly.
But you know it's there.

——

In 2026, we officially launched.

No big store.
No fancy signage.

You can find us on WeChat Mini Program.
You can see us on Xiaohongshu.
At the weekend market on Wukang Road, at that same small stall, you can still meet us.

We only make Nama Chocolate.

Nine classic flavors.
And for every season, we will create a chocolate that belongs to "the present moment."

Using the ingredients of this season.
Using the mood of this season.
Using the wind and rain of this season.

Making a chocolate that belongs only to this moment.

All flavors are made, blended, and developed by us.

Because every intention should be unique.
Like you.
Like me.
Like everyone we meet.

——

Our chocolate ingredients come from Europe.
They traveled far across the ocean, a long journey.

But our hearts are here.

We put Chinese flavors into Nama Chocolate.
Ginger, red dates.

When I was little, when winter was cold, my mom would brew a cup of ginger and red date tea.
Warm.
Like a hug.

In 2025, this flavor won an award at the World Chocolate Awards.
From us, it traveled far and wide.

I often think,
It turns out a small piece of chocolate can also carry the taste of home.
The warmth of memories.
The touch of a mother's hand.

——

We have always insisted on one thing:

Handmade.
Freshly made.

Each piece is not machine-made.
It's made by hand, bit by bit.
Carrying body temperature.
Carrying time.
Carrying our heartfelt intention.

It's not a commodity.
It's a moment.
It's that feeling, that emotion that surges in your heart the moment you bite into it.

——

Dear one,
We are not selling chocolate.

Truly not.

We just hope,
When you are tired sometimes,
When you want to stop sometimes,
When you feel the world is so noisy, so fast, so rushed—

You can pick up a piece.
Put it in your mouth.
Close your eyes.

Then you realize,
This moment can be so quiet.
This moment, you don't have to think about anything.
This moment, in itself, is a gift.

——

Will you?
Give yourself a reason to stop.