A Small Gift

The Coconut Bliss family is extremely grateful for all the support that you, our wonderful fans, have provided us over the last year. We wouldn’t be where we are today without your love & support and this is one small way of saying thank you.

Amy Palatnick, a local potter, made us some small custom bowls for our Night of Bliss boxes and we loved them so much we had her make us a few more for gifts. They have the Coconut Bliss elephant on the underside & each bowl has a unique layering of glazes on them.

After some long and serious contemplation on how I was going to give these bowls away & having no clear thoughts I turned to my co-workers. Lakshmi had a great idea that really stuck with me so I’m going to use it! She wants to see pictures of your favorite way to enjoy Coconut Bliss. This could be something as simple as your pint of choice & favorite ice cream spoon, or as complex as a multi flavor sundae creation.

You can post the picture to our Flickr Group, on our Facebook page, in a Tweet (twitpic ect), or on your own website or blog! Wherever the picture is posted please leave me a link here to the picture & a way to contact you if the picture is not posted to a network I can contact you on.

Feel free to submit as many pictures as you like, but you can only win one of the five bowls I have to giveaway. Entries for the giveaway can be submitted until midnight January 3rd, 2010. I will contact the winners on January 4th, 2010 and hopefully will have been in touch with all of them by January 5th to be able to share all the winning entries with you!

Have a blissful holiday season!
Kiley

Our Coconut Bliss Staff, December 2009...

Big things have been happening over the last couple of months at our Bliss offices as we've been planning for 2010. It culminated this week in putting the finishing touches on our 2010 budget! We're excited, and we've got some really neat things planned for the coming year.

We're also looking back at 2009, and we're really thankful...for our customers and our families, and their support of our Coconut Bliss and the way we do business. We are feeling, well, quite blissful.

So, here's a picture of our team, taken earlier this week in Eugene, on one of the coldest, clearest winter days in (my) memory.

... and just as I typed this, it started raining. Well, back to our normal weather patterns, and time for some Naked Almond Fudge. :)

~Vince

Jaya Lakshmi And Coconut Bliss at SF Green Fest Parties 2009

[An update from Jaya Lakshmi, Director of Events and Public Relations...]

Last weekend, we had a blast sponsoring the two Green Festival after parties in San Francisco. I flew down for the weekend from Eugene, OR with Jenya (very cheap flights on Alleigant Air!)

We attended Common Ground Magazine's 35th Anniversary party at 1015 Folsom St. We had a table there along with the other sponsors; we gave out samples and sold bars. Shanna, our Bay Area "Bliss Op" came in with the freezer and other supplies (amazing  how she handles that freezer!).

It was a rockin' party, split into three rooms - my favorite of course was the cozy 'Kirtan' room downstairs, where I performed a kirtan set, and got to sing along with Mukti (thanks to Shanna & Jenya covering the table). Delhi 2 Dublin played on the main stage, and we also experienced some other great bands and fantastic entertainment by El Cirque. We didn't leave the venue until 4 am!

On Saturday night, November 14th, we sponsored the Hamsa Lila party at the Regency Ballroom, along with Earthdance, Lydia's Lovin' Foods, Nutiva, Alter Eco and other vendors. This was actually a benefit for Common Vision. Our spot was in the lobby, and wow, what a scene it was all night long!

It was quite a tribal family gathering - there must have been at least 800 people there. I recognized folks from all eras of the rainbow trail: super fun to serve out Coconut Bliss, constantly, for 8 hours, and at the end we gave the rest of our bars away. It was surreal to see everyone in the whole lobby licking their Coconut Bliss bars! (Hey, special thanks to those who helped us carry the freezer up & down all those stairs!) Hamsa Lila had an incredible re-union show, stronger than ever. 

We'll definitely be back next year, possibly in the Festival as well, to participate in one of the most incredible celebrations of our green economy and neo-tribal culture that happens on the planet...right here on our expansive, frontier west coast where dreams come true!

If any of you out there have links to pictures from any of these events, feel free to leave them in the comments! 

Thank You For Giving US a Night Of Bliss

We were incredibly honored and excited as we greeted friends -- old and new -- at our 2009 A Night of Bliss Benefit, on Saturday, Nov. 7th, at the Eugene Waldorf School.

We opened our doors at 5pm, with people already waiting. We had hoped to give away 24 gallons of Coconut Bliss--we actually had to run back to our office freezers to get more. When all was said and done, we pulled out another 6+ cases! And on a cold, rainy night in Eugene, over 450 people came out to donate their money and time...and eat our endless Coconut Bliss sundaes.

And amazing sundaes they were, in large part due to the sweet, gooey (and organic) toppings! Local natural food companies generously donated their time and their product: organic nuts and goji berries, raw granola toppings from Hummingbird Wholesale, sweet berry sauces from Sweet Creek Foods, luscious hot fudge sauce from PremRose Edibles, granola toppings from Grizzly Brand Granola, carmel sauce from Missionary Chocolates, fruit sauces from Lost Valley Educational Center, and a wonderful hot chai from Mountain Rose Herbs. On the savory end of things, Cousin Jack's Pasty Company (541-686-3211‎) offered locally sourced and freshly prepared pasties.

For entertainment, Jaya Lashimi and friends performed 2 one hour-long sets of kirtan & celtic-inspired music, with female vocalist Wind Song jumping on stage for a final song. And the South Eugene High School Drama Department gave a performance as well.

In addition, we gave away ice cream bowls (exclusively made for this event by local potter Amy Palatnik) to anyone during the evening who offered to appear on camera talking about Coconut Bliss. Amy's work is well known locally, and we're appreciative of her generous artistic contribution to A Night of Bliss.

All proceeds will be donated to four groups who focus on education and sustainability in our community. The beneficiaries of our 2009 event are

• Eugene Waldorf School (who generously allowed us to use their Great Hall),
• Lost Valley Educational Center
• Huerto De Familia
• South Eugene High School Drama Department

Over $2500 was raised -- it will be divided evenly amongst these 4 groups. In addition to the monetary donation (and our donation of Coconut Bliss), we gave our beneficiaries table space to share and explain to others what their groups do.

But we also wanted this event to be more than just "local", and it was. As the night began, Larry reminded us that-- across North America-- many others' "Night of Bliss" parties were already well underway, happening in synchrony with our event. Earlier last month, we awarded 50 Coconut Bliss tasting-parties ("Bliss boxes") to people who sent us their very personal expressions of how Coconut Bliss makes them feel. The winners of our Night of Bliss are listed here:

• poetry and prose entries
• graphical media entries

So, if you participated and 'played' along, how was your "Night of Bliss" experience?

If you have pictures, videos or commentary, leave us a comment on this blog entry. And if you have a Flickr photo account, please join our Coconut Bliss Lover's photo pool to have your photos feed into our pool of Coconut Bliss-related pictures.

We're already looking forward to next year. Thanks for helping us make this vision become a sweet reality and grand success.

PS: Here's our first video from a national winner's "Night of Bliss" tasting party. And here's a blog post of another winner's event.

~Vince

Your Own Coconut Bliss Party, and our 2009 Winners

We have selected our 2009 "A Night of Bliss" winners and have just shipped off 50 Coconut Bliss "parties-in-a-box" to locations across North America (we had one Canadian winner!). Thanks again for all your amazing entries! A list of all winners is at the end of this post, and you can view the winning entries by clicking here.

Even if you didn't win, or even enter, you can still have your own Night of Bliss party on November 7, or any other night. In fact, you can even throw a "Morning of Bliss" brunch if that excites you, complete with Mimosas and Bloody Marys or fresh waffles!

A Coconut Bliss party is a great opportunity to connect with those you love, break the ice with new friends, and soften the ice with someone you've had tension with. Coconut Bliss has a way of bringing people joyously together. Nothing like melting Bliss to melt barriers between people! This is your party, so create it in whatever way you and your guests will enjoy, be that kirtan and candelight, or celto-punjabi-dub-hop and strobe lights.

Suggestions on Who to Invite:

• Friends and family who love Coconut Bliss
• Friends and family who've never even heard of Coconut Bliss
• People you would like to get to know better (e.g., your favorite checker at your local market)
• Your next door neighbors
• Your co-workers (one you like and one you avoid)
• Children (they help awaken giggles, silliness and pure enjoyment)
• A neighborhood stray kitty (cats love Coconut Bliss)

Serving Ideas:

We enjoy Coconut Bliss best in glass or ceramic bowls, especially handmade ones. It's fun to have lots of toppings, such as sliced mangoes or bananas, fresh berries, toasted nuts, goji berries, or cacao nibs. In Italy, they like to pour a freshly pulled shot of espresso over vanilla gelato (they call this "affogato"). Get creative!

Activities for Your Party:

• Invite your guests to feed each other at some point during the party
• Blindfolded "guess the flavor" contest
• Create a performance and video it (send us the link!)
• Extend your bliss by sharing foot or back rubs (or tummy rubs if some have over-indulged)
• Have a sharing circle about what brings you bliss
• Twister Bliss
  

After your party send us links to your photos, videos and stories! If you're on Flickr, you can join our 'photo pool' : http://www.flickr.com/groups/coconutbliss/pool/

Please share your ideas with us! Leave us your comments. Thanks! :)

AND here are the winners (since some states weren't represented in our entries, we chose multiple winners from other states):

• Jessica Brown - Juneau, AK
• Brittany Shelton - Fayetteville, AR
• Koali Pontual-Thorne - Patagonia, AZ
• Jennifer Stroup - Long Beach, CA
• Wendy Yu - Los Angeles, CA
• Christian Hellmers - Del Mar, CA
• David Ray - Sebastopol, CA
• Debbie Paul - Sacramento, CA
• Lisa Franzetta - Oakland, CA
• Vanessa Smith - Nevada City, CA
• Kelly Brozyna - Longmont, CO
• Marie Woodhull - South Glastonbury, CT
• Ruthie Berman - West Palm Beach, FL
• David Soleil - Decatur, GA
• Colin Lusher - Honolulu, HI
• Jamile Shirley - Ames, IA
• Ashely Bagot - Chicago, IL
• Maggie Schmit & Elli Plunkett - Bloomingto, IN
• Terri Deletetsky - Brookline, MA
• Maryann DellaRocco - Ellicott City, MD
• Anne Jacobs - Newcastle, ME
• Jennie Smith - Menominee, MI
• Stacy Gangestad - Farmington, MN
• Ariel Berube - Charlotte, NC
• Grayson Hoberg - Harvey, ND
• Justine Levine - Flemington, NJ
• Robyn Howard - Somerset, NJ
• Whitney Krueger - Santa Fe, NM
• Jaimie Shaff - Brooklyn, NY
• Nancy Guberti - Scarsdale, NY
• Michelle Brose - Staten Island, NY
• Elizabeth Stark - Beachwood, OH
• Melissa Helsel - Mustang, OK
• Sukita Crimmel - Portland, OR
• Traci D'Elia - Hillsboro, OR
• Jessica Dadds & Casey McDonald - Portland, OR
• Paolo Vidali - Philadelphia, PA
• Randa Clark - McKees Rocks, PA
• Margaux C. Chang - Daniel Island, SC
• Michelle Kane - Spearfish, SD
• Kym Colella - Brentwood, TN
• Becky Martin - Katy, TX
• Cresta Schiefer - Park City, UT
• Meaghan Sutherland - Arlington, VA
• Adrienne Fortune - Milton, VT
• Brandie Kajino - Vancouver, WA
• Kimberly Halinen - Spanaway, WA
• Spencer Beard - Seattle, WA
• Scott Rudolph - Appleton, WI
• Josh May - Vancouver, BC

Congratulations!!!

~Vince, Larry, Luna & Kiley

"A Night Of Bliss" Winners To Be Announced Soon

The deadline has passed and Luna & Larry are now beginning to excitedly sift through the many creative, comedic, wonderful and wacky entries we received for our Coconut Bliss giveaway event, "ANIGHTOFBLISS". Please stay tuned to our blog/twitter/facebook feeds for the announcement of the winners, and other updates.

Besides the national event, we also have a local event planned.

In Eugene, Oregon on Saturday, November 7th, we'll be giving away Coconut Bliss sundaes from 5pm-9pm, at the Eugene Waldorf School. All proceeds and donations will be going to four local education/sustainability focused groups.

• Here's more info about the event
  
• Here's a map and directions

We hope to see you there!

Deadline Extended 1 Week for A Night Of Bliss

Ok, you asked, so we're extending the deadline for A NIGHT OF BLISS. You have one more week to get your entries in, and it now ends 10-7-09. Again, if you haven't heard, Luna & Larry are giving away 50 Coconut Bliss parties. 

A box o' fun: it can be used for a rollicking kids and parents party. Or you can reserve it for a swanky adult one. Your call, your bliss, on our dime. 

Please get your entries in pronto. Go to Anightofbliss.com  for more details

And just to sweeten the deal, entries posted from today's date (10-1-09, happy October!) to 10-2-09 will get free t-shirts.