In July 2025 I sat down with Larry G. Dix II, host of the Born or Made podcast, for an hour of honest conversation about how Alma came to be. The episode went out on August 12 as Episode 60, "Sourced with Soul." If you have ever wondered what is actually behind the canister on your counter, this is the long version.
A quick note on names. When Larry and I recorded this, the company still introduced itself as Gnapse. Gnapse is still our legal name, but everything we make now lives under one roof, Alma Rituals, with Alma Cacao as the flagship and Kanna Feels and G+MOOD alongside it. Same people, same sourcing, one name that says what we actually do. So when you hear "Gnapse" in the episode, that is us.
What we talked about
Larry's show is about people who built something from the ground up, and he wanted the real story rather than the polished one. So we started at the low point: closing my previous company during the pandemic, a stretch of anxiety and uncertainty, and the decision to rebuild around the things that had actually helped me feel calmer and clearer.
From there the conversation went where Alma always goes:
- Why cacao, and why whole. The difference between a stripped powder and whole-bean ceremonial cacao with the cacao butter still in it, and why that changes how a cup feels.
- Sourcing at the root. What it means to buy single-origin cacao from native communities of the Peruvian Amazon, why we lab test every batch, and why 2 percent of every sale goes back to the people who grow it.
- Kanna Feels and G+MOOD. The other side of the Alma Rituals family, and how a plant used for centuries for mood and connection ended up in a black bottle.
- Ritual over product. Why I think the pause, the warmth and the person across the table matter as much as anything in the cup.
Why this one mattered to me
Larry did not just say thanks and move on. After we recorded, he ordered. Then he subscribed. He has been part of the Alma family every month since, and every time his order comes through I think about that hour on Zoom. That is the whole idea, really. A drink is the door. The people you share it with are the room.
Listen
- Apple Podcasts
- Spotify (search Episode 60)
- Web player
- Larry's book: Born or Made: Fear Is a Liar. Defeat Is Overrated.
If the episode makes you curious about what we actually make, start with a cup of Alma Cacao and see what your mornings feel like without the crash.
