Hasta La Ideas

Catch-all bowls crafted from flexible cork fabric

Not just for wine stoppers and bulletin boards anymore, cork’s applications are practically limitless. Case in point, the Adjust-a-Bowl has a leather-like texture that’s perfect for organizing everything from veggies (it’s naturally anti-microbial and stain resistant) to magazines or keys. The material lends tactile appeal too; it’s warm, smooth to the touch and extremely pliable.

Though hard to believe, the handmade containers get this ideal balance of form and function from 100% all-natural cork fabric. The double-layer construction ensures that they’ll keep their shape—so though it has the flexibility of a paper bag at first glance, it’s nowhere near as flimsy, standing up to folding and washing machines.

The round version of the Adjust-a-Bowl is available online in two sizes, medium for $34 or large for $48 and comes in rectangle form for $38.

Truly tough cheeseboards born and made in New York

Take two food-obsessed Brooklynites with a family history in rock mining, add an entrepreneurial spirit, and you have Brooklyn Slate Company. In 2009 co-founders Kristy Hadeka and Sean Tice started making cheeseboards using slate from Hadeka’s third-generation family quarry in upstate New York. The two saw the idea as “the perfect opportunity to participate in the local food movement” and since have hired on an intimate group of artisanal craftsman to help create elegant boards in their South Brooklyn studio.

After cutting down larger slabs, each platter is then hand selected for proper thickness and ideal hue. And because of the specific geological location of the source quarry, all cheeseboards are available in either a smokey black and dark red color, with red being unique to the New York Slate Valley.

Aside from the obvious aesthetic advantage over traditional wooden serving trays, the non-porous properties of slate make it impervious to mold and fungus while also resisting decay and discoloring over time. Due to their natural origins and minimal processing, each product is one-of-a-kind, having unique shapes, cuts and colors.

The finishing touch, a soapstone pencil included with each cheeseboard offers a clever route to identifying your freshest find from the local farmer’s market. Available for just $26, look to Brooklyn Slate Company online for stockists. While you’re there check out their slate coasters and garden markers that sell for $20 and $12, respectively.

Minneapolis husband and wife handcraft chocolates in delectably bold flavor combos

As small-batch chocolatiers become increasingly common, standing out takes more than just organic ingredients. The husband-and-wife team behind Minneapolis’ B.T. McElrath Chocolatiers take artisanal chocolate making to a new level with their expertly-blended, flavor-popping bars. Infusing sustainably-sourced chocolate with fresh cream and other ingredients—like fruit, toffee or sea salt—the enthusiastic purveyors whip up some delicious concoctions.

But the real secret ingredient in the duo’s confections is the slightly obsessive passion they put into each bar. Crafting them in the original Betty Crocker R&D space, chef Brian McElrath uses techniques like layering each flavor by hand and airbrushing them with colored cocoa butter. “There can be no errors,” he insists. “One can’t speed up the process or do things quickly because they have to be done the right way.”

We tasted several different flavors, but the Passion Fruit & Tangerine bar was a surprise hit for its mix of white and dark chocolate and tangy fruit undertones. The Salty Dog was also a crowd-pleaser, especially for those who love the savory-sweet combination.

Wrapped in packaging made from Sustainable Forestry Initiative paper printed with vegetable dyes, B.T. McElrath chocolates sell at numerous retailers around the U.S. and online for $5 per bar.

An interview with Diego Badaro about organic farming and his award-winning Brazilian chocolates

Although Brazil is one of the world’s top producers of cacao, Brazilian chocolate, on the other hand, has received very little attention. The common, everyday chocolate found on market shelves in Brazil is formulated with a higher fat content to add flavor and has less cacao compared to chocolate found in the U.S. and Europe. To put it frankly, even the most desperate chocolate connoisseur wouldn’t get near the stuff.

With domestic brands like the award-winning Amma Chocolates found in metropolises around the country, Brazilian chocolate is having its turn in the limelight. We talked to owner Diego Badaro (who has an American partner, Frederick Schilling) about his creamy, organic chocolate, which is made with cacao from his farms in Bahia, which is already infused with exotic fruits like sapoti or floral notes. A fifth generation cacao farmer, Badaro introduced organic farming techniques to his trade and is help changing the industry, as well as local tastes.

How did you decide which flavors to add to each of the chocolate varieties?

The cacao trees are planted in the shadow of the Atlantic rainforest. In each area, there’s an emphasis on maximizing fruits and plants grown there, through the process of pollination. For example, the jupará is a monkey that eats cacao and throws the pits around the forest. This monkey is a big proponent of cacao, just like the birds. In accordance with each species, specific flowers are pollinated and widespread throughout the areas, so there’s a combination of new elements. Man also influences things. Various trees of diverse fruits are planted together with cacao. In the end, when it’s time to taste the chocolate, an educated palate can recognize the complexity.

Does organic farming make your cocoa beans more susceptible to disease?

It’s the opposite, really. Organic cocoa trees are the most resistant against diseases. Compare it with a person who takes too much antibiotics. His body loses its immunity and antibiotics will no longer have any effect on the body after continuous use. With land, it’s the same thing.

What are the challenges you faced in maintaining everything organic?

In the beginning, the resistance of the old farmers, resistant to accept that our methods gave results. I’m talking about the workers at the farms. But soon, they saw that the fruits were healthier. Today, the farmers believe in organic management and use our methods. There’s an evident rebirth in the region, through the organic culture.

What benefits do your workers receive?

On the farms, workers are our partners, so we share the profits of our sales. In the factory, we have 20 workers. There, as well, we want everyone to take part in the profits.

Why the sudden push now in Brazil for better quality chocolate?

Premium chocolate, or terroir, appeared in the last nine, 10 years. With Amma, things began to change when we started planting organic cocoa, also during that same time. The Brazilian rainforest has the biggest biodiversity per square meter on the planet. And our cocoa is planted in its shade. We have in the composition of our fruits, the essence of the richest elements on Earth!

What’s your production rate?

We expect to export about 50 tons this year. Our U.S. buyers and distributors in Korea, Australia and Japan are starting to invest in this new product—premium chocolate with terroir. We have been in the Brazilian market for a year. We already are distributed across 60 outlets and we want to be in all 50 states this year.

Icelandic biodiversity in the work of four jewelry designers

Even if you’ve never been to Iceland, you’ve probably seen images of its otherworldly landscape that hint at what a central role nature plays in shaping visual culture there. The following Icelandic designers have taken the idea to heart with jewelry that incorporates organic forms and patterns, or in one case, a living plant itself. We found these four standouts from the ever-growing world of natural design at Iceland’s DesignMarch earlier this year.

Maria Kristin’s gorgeous drop-shaped necklace won her first prize in the recent Hendrikka Waage jewelry competition. While the pattern cutout could easily be interpreted as based on a honeycomb, crystal or Moroccan tile, the polished metal form takes inspiration from a mother’s womb, as Kristin herself had just become a mother briefly before the design process. The design also symbolizes mankind’s innate responsibility to protect nature even while living in our artificial world.

Crossing the line between manmade and nature’s design, HAF byHafstein Juliusson‘s Growing Jewelry is just that, growing. The concept, which first debuted in 2008, has yet to be interpreted more elegantly than this living plant embedded in metal casing. Geared for the increasing numbers residing in the great metropolises of the world, the experimental design offers a slice of nature to remind us of the beauty that lies beyond the concrete. Available through HAF’s online store, each piece sells for between €150-180.

Hring Eftir Hring takes a traditional source of inspiration, but deconstructs floral forms into sculpted petals arranged in asymmetrical configurations. The resulting rings, pendants, and earrings, available in 17 colors, look like the kind of playfully elegant accessories that might be worn by futuristic sea creatures. Hring Eftir Hring sells in numerous stores throughout Iceland, Denmark and Norway and online Epal for 5,950 ISK.

The rough-hewn designs of Helga Mogensen combine organic materials with precious metals to create necklaces, earrings and tie clips unlike any other. Inspired by Iceland’s rich natural landscape, Mogensen uses materials like silver, driftwood, and fish skin—often in raw, clunky forms—to create beautifully-intriguing statement pieces. Select designs are available online through All Icelandic design shop for around 15,000 ISK ($135 USD).