Artist of the Month - June

This month we meet a young lady who spent her childhood in the kitchen and learnt the basics from her ancestors. Her passions are all about a healthy lifestyle and she is another great example of a successful entrepreneur who combined her passion with her talent. Martina Camilleri from Food Therapy for a Conscious Living creates mouth-watering delicious desserts that are free from gluten, wheat, lactose, dairy and sugars and instead full of protein and healthy fats. Her products are exclusively made of a combination of ingredients that not only nourishes the body, but also elevates energy and moods. 

When did you start creating?

I started creating raw, vegan chocolate in 2016; I was just doing it for myself and to have a healthy treat. Back then the chocolate I was making was with coconut oil as a base and it was very basic in comparison to the chocolate I make today.

How did you start the business and how did it evolve today?

I’ve always had my head and heart in the kitchen. Ever since I was young I use to observe my mother and grandma prepare food, dying to dig in and get my hands dirty. I started by creating a separate Instagram account to showcase my food, and suddenly I was receiving numerous messages frm people asking me if I would be selling my chocolates and sweet. In 2017 I did a sort of a trial run during Easter where I made Raw Vegan Easter Eggs and I got a great response. That year, after I graduated from University and came back from my month in Bali, I decided to give it a try and start selling my chocolates. Initially, the intention was to sell only chocolate bars and cakes, but eventually the product list expanded into raw savory items, such as my spirulina seeds and others. I started taking part in several markets and pop up shops. Ever since then the business just kept on growing and I am now self-employed and running Food Therapy on full time basis.

How do you manage the work/life balance?

Haha, this is a very good question - if you have the answer please let me know! Food Therapy is my number one priority. When I have a busy week with orders, or have a market to prepare for, I don’t usually have much of a break. It is very common and normal for me to be up till 4am (if not later) making chocolates and preparing. Even when I do try take a morning or afternoon to myself, you can still probably find me in the kitchen. When you do something you love, it doesn’t seem like work. When I am in a good flow of creating and putting my goodies together, I wouldn’t want to leave the kitchen, regardless of how long I’ve been in there. However, I always try my best to take Mondays off. If I have a lot of paperwork to do, editing, blog posting or writing an article, Ghajn Tuffieha is my go to. My breaks from work often include visiting my grandparents, meeting my friends, going to the gym, practicing yoga and reading.

What has been your best moment so far?

I actually never thought about this! There have been way too many! Seeing my articles on a magazine was a very rewarding experience! However I would say that one of my best moments was the last workshop I held which was for children. Those who know me, know how much I love working with children and seeing all those young kids getting excited and enthusiastic about raw vegan chocolate and healthy baking was so energizing and special.

What is your one piece of advice to other handmade sellers?

Just go for it. Show people what you are passionate about. Make sure you do everything with love, and good intentions. There will always be some difficult days or a time when you might want to give up, but go back to your roots and look at why you started and how far you have come along! Always follow your heart.

What's your favourite motto for motivation?

I actually have two. The first is ‘you are exactly where you need to be’. I’m one who over thinks ALOT and it’s easy to lose track of the present moment and focus on what will happen next - so this quote really helps me stay in the present and just trust that things will be ok. My second is by Paolo Coehlo, one of my favourite authors; ‘When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it’.

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