Who doesn’t love a nice cold glass of iced tea in the summer? Something about sipping this beverage in the summer sun just makes the flavors taste better and gets the good vibes flowing. Something that can make your favorite iced tea even more refreshing and take summer fun and relaxation to the next level? Alcohol!

It’s tough to find a drink that can’t be improved with the right spirits—and iced tea is no exception. To get you ready for summer cookouts, boat trips, and bonfires, we’ve rounded up some of the best hard iced tea recipes out there. Check it out!

Summer Peach Tea Cocktail

Peaches are one of those fruits that just scream summer, so it makes sense that they would be a delectable combination with a cold glass of iced tea. This smooth but potent concoction is four parts iced tea, one part whisky, and one part peach liqueur. Give your ingredients a quick stir and top with a lemon wedge (or fresh peach slices!), and you’ll be ready for a good time.

Get the full recipe here.

Raspberry Hard Iced Tea

If you’re all aboard the summer fruit train but looking for something with a little more pucker, this raspberry iced tea cocktail is sure to hit the spot. First, you’ll muddle some fresh raspberries with a little bit of lemon juice. Then, grab your favorite sweet tea, add a shot of whiskey or bourbon, and top with fresh mint for an extra refresh.

Get the full recipe here.

Royal Tea Cocktail

For those summer sippers who prefer a little more herbal taste to their iced tea, this royal tea cocktail won’t disappoint. Start by brewing your favorite Earl Grey tea, then chill it for a few hours. Add gin, a splash of lemon juice, and sugar to taste. Garnish with a lemon wheel and you’ll soon be feeling like royalty!

Get the full recipe here.

Blackberry-Bourbon Iced Tea

With a blend of fresh blackberries, iced tea, strong bourbon, sugar, and fresh mint, you’ll find little to complain about when you try this blackberry-bourbon iced tea. If you like the look of the raspberry hard iced tea recipe but are put off by the tartness of the raspberries, this cocktail offers a sweet alternative. Try subbing the sugar with agave or honey for a more natural twist.

Get the full recipe here.

Tea Tini

Looking for something a little fancier for your summer afternoon spirit? This iced tea tini will do the trick! Even better is how easy it is to make. Simply make your favorite iced tea, spike it with vodka, and add simple syrup (or honey) and lemon juice to taste. Pour into a martini glass rimmed with sugar and get your sip on!

Get the full recipe here.

Mad Hatter’s Tea Party Cocktail

This dreamy beverage requires a little bit more work on your part, but it will be totally worth it. First, you’ll need to make tea-infused rum using an infusion jar. Then, once you have your bottled liquor, combine it with lime juice, simple syrup, and ginger syrup in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake it up and serve in an old-fashioned glass with a lime wheel for garnish.

Get the full recipe here.

At Otto’s Granary, we want to make it easy for you to enjoy a delicious adult beverage on a lazy summer day. With our flavorful iced tea pouches, you can make your favorite iced tea cocktail as soon as the craving hits! We offer a wide variety of iced tea flavors from The Republic of Tea that will go perfectly with your preferred spirit and the summer season. Or, chill any of our loose-leaf teas yourself if there’s a flavor you really want to experiment with.

Order all the iced tea and other sweets and treats you need for summer online today!

If there’s one thing most of us can agree on in this world, it’s that candy is a mouth-watering treat that can be enjoyed any place, any time, at any age. Whether it’s sweet, sour, salty, chocolatey, hard, gummy, or any combination thereof, everybody has a favorite they’ve always craved.

Over the years, you’ve probably heard your fair share of myths and urban legends about certain candies, but how many of them had you convinced? In honor of National Candy Month, we’ve set out to debunk some of these common candy wives’ tales and offer you a few fun candy facts instead!

Candy Myth: It will take you 7 years to digest a piece of swallowed gum.

As a kid, you might remember a friend or classmate telling you that if you swallowed your gum, it would sit in your stomach for the next 7 years. Then, the next time you accidentally swallowed a piece, a jolt of fear ran through you. Fortunately for you and your digestive system, this one is just a myth! While gum is a little harder to break down, you can rest assured that it will still find its way out of your body in a timely manner.

Candy Fact: World War II soldiers were given Tootsie Rolls in their rations.

Because they were known to be able to withstand all weather conditions, Tootsie Rolls were included in soldiers’ rations during WWII. Funny enough, Tootsie Rolls were actually created by an Austrian man! They were first sold in the U.S. though, so there was no reason for anyone to feel guilty about enjoying one of the chewy, chocolatey morsels.

Candy Myth: The holes in Life Savers are there so you don’t choke.

Rumor has it that when Life Savers’ creator Clarence Crane’s daughter choked on a mint, it prompted him to make one that was essentially choke-proof. So, the story goes, he came up with the hole in the middle to allow air to pass through if it got stuck in the throat. The admittedly-less-interesting truth is that it was just easier for the machine to make the mints with the hole. He simply named them for their resemblance to life preservers.

Candy Fact: A dentist invented cotton candy.

In 1897, a dentist named William Morrison and a confectioner named John Warton teamed up to create a machine that would turn sugar into cotton-like strands. They called their masterpiece “Fairy Floss” and introduced it at the 1904 World’s Fair, to a successful and enthusiastic response. As for the name change? Joseph Lascaux, another dentist, invented a similar machine in 1921 and named his confection “cotton candy”, the name that stuck.

Candy Myth: Pop Rocks can kill you.

A lot of people used to believe that eating Pop Rocks and drinking Coca Cola together would make your stomach explode. In fact, so many parents believed this that they campaigned to make Pop Rocks illegal! The real verdict? They’re totally safe! The popping and crackling sounds are just the release of the pressurized carbon dioxide used to make Pop Rocks. Pair them with Coke and the worst you’ll get is some bad gas.

Candy Fact: 3 Musketeers originally came as a pack with 3 different flavors.

When 3 Musketeers came out in 1932, it came as a package containing three pieces of chocolate-covered goodness, one filled with chocolate nougat, one with vanilla, and one with strawberry. This all changed during World War II when restrictions were imposed on sugar and vanilla and strawberry became scarcer. Since chocolate was their most popular flavor anyway, they switched to the full-size chocolate nougat bar we know today.

At Otto’s Granary, we have something for everyone looking to get their candy fix. From gourmet chocolates and popcorn to jelly beans, PEZ candies and more, our in-store and online sweets shop will be able to satisfy your every taste for candy, chocolate, and treats.

Browse our online shop and buy your favorites today!

Who among us has the power to resist a delectable piece of chocolate? Although many of us may be able to exercise some level of self-control, sometimes you just can’t help but give in to a chocolate craving. We’re only human, after all.

There’s nothing wrong with treating yourself to a chocolate snack every so often or even regularly. But if you find yourself reaching for a chocolate bar every day, it’s probably time to look into healthier alternatives to satisfy your hankering. Fortunately, there are quite a few snack options out there (and here at Otto’s!) that will pacify your chocolate sweet tooth and actually benefit your health in the process. Check out some of our favorites!

1) Chocolate-Covered Espresso Beans

Coffee touts quite a few health benefits of its own that, when combined with the right kind of chocolate, have double the positive effect. Both coffee and chocolate are packed with antioxidants, which help fight free radicals in your body that cause inflammation. Chronic inflammation can lead to diseases such as diabetes, digestive disorders, arthritis, heart disease and more.

Dark chocolate espresso beans can also help reduce your risk for heart disease by lowering “bad” LDL cholesterol levels in your body. Pairing chocolate with coffee is good for your blood sugar levels too, as the caffeine from the beans increases your metabolism and allows you to process the sugar from the chocolate faster. Another great benefit of coffee beans is that it gives you an energy boost by facilitating dopamine production, which releases endorphins that boost your mood too.

2) Chocolate-Covered Nuts

Nuts are a tasty and convenient snack that also happen to be highly nutritious. Cover them in chocolate and they become the perfect blend of salty and sweet! Nuts are another great source of antioxidants and good for your heart health, just like chocolate-covered espresso beans. They also lower your LDL cholesterol levels, as well as decrease LDL oxidation, which is a big contributor to heart disease. The magnesium found in nuts such as almonds and cashews helps prevent high blood pressure too.

Another perk to snacking on chocolate-covered nuts instead of that chocolate candy bar? Nuts promote weight loss! Although nuts are higher in fat and calories, your body does not absorb them all because a portion of fat stays trapped within the nut during digestion. The high protein and fiber content then helps keep you full for longer, curbing your hunger and reducing your overall caloric intake throughout the day.

3) Chocolate-Covered Dried Fruit

Chocolate-covered fruit may be more of a luxury, but chocolate-covered dried fruit is easy to eat, lasts longer than fresh fruit, and packs an equally as nutritious punch. When fruit goes through the drying process, it retains almost all of its original vitamins and nutrients, just in a condensed form. Once it’s coated in chocolate, your sweet tooth won’t even know that you’re also getting in your daily fruit servings at the same time!

There are many different types of chocolate-covered dried fruit—strawberries, bananas, pineapple, cherries, raisins, etc. Each type of fruit comes with its own host of health benefits. Vitamin C, which boosts your immune system, helps fight infection, and improves your skin, is one that most types have in common. Many fruits are also beneficial for your digestive health, as they contain prebiotic fiber that helps maintain regularity and colon health. Some chocolate-covered dried fruits, such as prunes, raisins, and plums, even act as natural laxatives to help with constipation. Dried fruit is also good for your heart, promoting good blood flow and regulating blood pressure.

When you’re ready to put a healthy twist on your chocolate addiction, Otto’s Granary is here to help! In addition to our vast inventory of gourmet chocolates, we’ve recently added chocolate-covered products from Kopper’s Chocolate to our website. You’ll find a variety of delicious chocolate-covered nuts, coffee beans, dried fruit, and more to help satisfy your cravings.

Shop all of our sweets online and place your order today!

Between birthdays, holidays, milestones, appreciation days, and other special occasions that happen every year, it often feels like there’s always another gift to be bought. Sometimes, you’ll stumble onto the perfect present by mere fate. Most of the time though, it’s a painstaking process of rushing from store to store and scrolling through endless pages of products, just hoping you spot something your recipient will still love and/or use in 5 years.

If this sounds like you ahead of every major holiday or event, we have some good news—it doesn’t have to be this way! There are some helpful rules of thumb you can follow to help you find the right gift for any person to commemorate any occasion. Let’s take a look at these do’s and don’ts of gift buying!

DO: Start shopping early.

Every now and then, the perfect gift will fall right into your lap. But in most cases, you’ll need to spend a good chunk of time searching for something they’ll love. That’s why giving yourself enough time to find the right thing is the first lesson of gift giving 101. If you leave your shopping until the last minute, you’re more likely to settle on something subpar out of fear of coming up empty-handed.

Allow yourself at least 3-4 weeks to brainstorm and narrow down the best gift. Especially if you’re looking at small businesses, independent sellers, and customized items, which may take longer to make and ship, time is of the essence.

DON’T: Spend too much…or too little.

Expensive, extravagant gifts often end up collecting dust when they can’t be used. You might think that fancy $1000 diamond bracelet will be a hit for your mom’s birthday, but how many occasions will she really have to wear something like that? She might even be too afraid to damage such an expensive item to wear it at all! A gift doesn’t have to have a crazy high price tag to be meaningful and appreciated.

At the same time, you don’t want to buy something cheap and seem like you put no effort into your gift at all. If you happen to come across a gift you know they’ll love or use and get a good deal, that’s great! But don’t compromise on quality just to save a few bucks.

DO: Make a list of their interests and hobbies.

A surefire way to make sure you get someone a gift they like and use is to choose something based on what you already know they like and use! Start by writing out a list of their favorite movies, music, TV shows, books, activities, etc. Then, brainstorm a few possible gifts for each category.

Does your brother collect Star Wars figurines? Look for one he doesn’t have that you can add to his collection! Is your boss always trying out new coffee flavors in the machine at work? Pick a few fun flavors to put in a gift basket! A gift that shows that you know them well or pay attention is the most meaningful kind you can give.

DON’T: Make it about you.

Going into your gift search blind or without focus will have you coming out of it with the perfect gift for YOU, not them. Keep your focus on what your recipient likes, might need, and keep their personality in mind as you shop.

Be open to searching for gifts that you yourself wouldn’t like or buy, but that you know they have an interest in. For example, maybe you think Game of Thrones is overrated (or just hated that last season), but your best friend has binge-watched the series and perfected their Arya Stark cosplay. In that case, don’t be afraid to dive deep into the trenches of Game of Thrones memorabilia to find them something special—even if it makes no sense to you.

If you’re looking for a one-stop-shop for unique, quirky, and collectible gifts to give your loved ones, look no further than Otto’s Granary! We have fun and useful gift options for every obsession, niche, and special interest you could think of.

Order the perfect gifts for everyone on your list online today!

Humans are collectors by nature. Most of us have collections that we don’t even think of as collections—two closets full of clothes, a house filled with décor, photo albums full of memories.

Collecting is a rewarding way to connect with our history, interests, and ourselves. That’s why many people find it satisfying to start intentional collections of unique items, such as coins, movie memorabilia, stamps, etc. If you’re interested in experiencing the thrill and joy of building a collection yourself, here are some tips to help you get started!

Choose a theme you’ll have fun with.

It takes a lot of time, energy, and money to build a quality collection. While it’s true that some people collect items with the long-term goal of making a profit, the most successful collectors are motivated by interest. Stick to collecting something you’re passionate about and you’ll have more fun and be more willing to put in the effort and money to hunt for good pieces.

Look for quality over quantity.

Speaking of good pieces, your focus should be on acquiring high-quality pieces slowly, rather than cheaper, mediocre pieces quickly. Choosing your investments carefully will allow you to build a more polished collection made up of pieces that will gain more value over time, which is especially important if you eventually decide to sell. Remember—collecting is a process, not a race.

Do your research.

It’s tough to recognize a quality collectible if you don’t know what to look for. Take the time to research the items you have in mind for your collection. Look at average prices, markings for authenticity (if you’re collecting originals), and options for reproductions. Learning about the history and function of what you’re collecting as well will make the process more exciting.

Take care of your collection.

Collectibles must be cleaned, maintained, and stored properly to ensure they retain their value over time. Don’t just think of it as work though, have fun and get creative with different display ideas! Half of the satisfaction in collecting comes from artfully organizing and showing off the fruits of your labor, so you can watch it grow and remember why you love being a collector.

Looking for inspiration for a new collection? Check out the wide variety of collectible and novelty items we carry here at Otto’s Granary! Our unique collectible categories range from puzzles and toys to valuable figurines and movie/TV memorabilia and so much more. We even have a handful of rare retired collectibles ripe for the taking at a price that can’t be beat.

Explore our hundreds of novelty and quirky gift items online or in-store today and snag something for your collection you can’t find anywhere else!

There are a lot of things about Christmas that make it the most wonderful time of the year—holiday cookies, snowball fights, lighting up the tree. But what truly makes the holidays a memorable and magical season is the time spent with and focused on family.

When you look back on Christmas’s past, your most fond memories are probably the traditions you shared with your loved ones. Since we’re going to be spending this Christmas hunkered down in our households thanks to COVID-19, now is the perfect time to start a brand-new family tradition to celebrate this year and for many years to come. Here are a few ideas for how you and your family can get festive together this Christmas season!

1) Start a Christmas countdown.

What better way to get excited about Christmas than by marking off everyday until it arrives? Make your countdown easy and fun with an advent calendar for every member of the family! Each day spend a few minutes together opening your goodies until the big day is finally here.

2) Finish a holiday puzzle.

If you’re looking for a fun holiday tradition that challenges you a bit, throw an annual puzzle night where everyone works on a Christmas-themed masterpiece. You can all work on one puzzle together or each have your own and race to the finish! Make a whole event of it with hot cocoa and Christmas movies.

3) Get creative with Christmas baking.

Go beyond the traditional cookie cutters this year and set your sights on Christmas treats of a higher caliber. That’s right, we’re talking about Christmas cakes, cakelets, pancakes, loaves of bread—whatever you can imagine! After your baking extravaganza, channel the giving spirit of the season and bring your works of sugary art to neighbors, friends, and family to enjoy (but don’t forget to make it a contactless drop off this year).

4) Build a Christmas village.

Let the whole family experience the fun of collecting and start your own miniature Christmas village this year! Picking out the perfect pieces and creating a beautiful village display is something you can enjoy doing together. Every year, pick out one new addition (or let each family member pick one!) and watch your mini winter wonderland grow from Christmas to Christmas.

5) Make holiday cards.

Since there are plenty of loved ones you won’t be able to celebrate with this year, sit down and fill out Christmas cards to send out and remind friends and family that you’re still thinking of them. Let everyone write their own little message or come up with something together to represent the whole family. You can also make cards to send to soldiers or other charitable organizations and help spread Christmas cheer to those who really need it.

Did you know that Christmas is our favorite holiday here at Otto’s? It’s true! We have a whole category of products dedicated just to Christmas. From villages to ornaments to specialty cocoas and more, we are your one-stop Christmas shop online and in Lubbock.

Browse our Christmas collections online today and get everything you need to celebrate this season!

This year has been unlike any other, to say the least. It feels a little bit like the world took our definition of normal, ripped it to shreds, and then continues to laugh in our face as we try to pick up the pieces, doesn’t it? On the bright side though, we’ve figured out how to retain some of our comforts and joys as a society—even if they look a little different now—and thankfully, national sports are among them!

We’re pretty big football fans over here at Otto’s, so we’re just as bummed as a lot of you are that we can’t go to any live games this season. But do you know what that means? Tailgating parties at home with your quarantine crew!

Check out this list of some of our favorite gourmet food items to help you step up your (safe and socially-distanced!) gameday gatherings:

1) Peach Chipotle Salsa

Is it really a football party if there’s no salsa on the table? The sweet and spicy combo in West Texas Gold’s Peach Chipotle Salsa is the versatile flavor boost you need for every game. Spread it over chicken, fish, or something else from the grill for a small group meal. Or grill it into quesadillas or serve by itself with tortilla chips for a tasty appetizer!

2) Jalapeno Stuffed Olives

These savory little devils bring the perfect amount of heat to your favorite tailgating recipes. Throw them in your chili, tacos, or other big batch dish for an extra kick or deep fry and serve as an app. Jalapeno Stuffed Olives also make a great garnish for spicy cocktails like a dirty Cajun martini or classic marg.

3) Mulled Cider Mix

Football means fall, and fall means chilly temperatures. Especially if you’re keeping the party outside in the garage or backyard for the first couple games, you’re going to need something to warm you up—and this Mulled Cider Mix by Stonewall Kitchen is the up for the job! The prep is super easy, so all you have to do is throw it in a pot with your favorite apple cider (or wine for the grownups) and let it simmer.

4) Fig & Walnut Butter

Dress up classic gameday snack items like cheese, sausage bites, bread, nuts, and veggies with this honey sweet Fig & Walnut Butter. If you want to get creative, you could also spread it over pizza for a sugary twist or throw it in your meat marinade. You can even use it to fill dessert tarts and other baked goods!

5) Mesquite BBQ Sauce

What can’t you do with barbeque sauce? The sweet, tangy dressing is a football party staple, and the unique mesquite flavor in West Texas Gold’s Mesquite BBQ Sauce adds just the right touch of distinct smokiness. Top subs and salads with this savory sauce or slather it all over your box of wings (we know you’ll have one!). It’s also exactly what you need to take the flavor of any other meats on your grill, like steak or ribs, up a notch!

6) T-Rex Beer Jelly

Like West Gold’s salsa, their T-Rex Beer Jelly blends the flavor of sweet peach with a chipotle kick, but also brings another deliciously unique element to the table—Trippel Belgian light ale! The delectable taste of this spread will complement any course you want to use it for. Serve it with danishes or bagels at a gameday brunch. Cover your favorite grill items (chicken, burgers, etc.) for a hearty lunch or dinner. Cut up some cheese and veggies to dip in it for an appetizer. Or even bake it inside of biscuits or pie for a rich dessert.

If the sound of these gameday goodies has your mouth watering, go explore the other gourmet foods we sell online and in-store at Otto’s Granary! We may not be able to tailgate at the stadium or have big blowout parties this football season, but that doesn’t mean we can’t all enjoy watching America’s favorite sport together in solidarity (and with some killer flavors to boot).

Place your order online for direct delivery or curbside pickup today!

As of 2018, over 500 million copies of the Harry Potter books have sold worldwide. The films created based on J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World have grossed over $9 billion (including Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them). Even if you don’t consider yourself a devoted Potterhead, chances are you know at least a couple.

With so much wizard-themed merchandise available, you might find yourself struggling to choose the perfect gift for your favorite Harry Potter fan when the next holiday or birthday rolls around. Don’t worry—Otto’s has you covered with all of the products and ideas you need to build a unique Harry Potter gift basket that even Professor McGonagall would approve of!

Personalize your basket with your loved one’s favorite Harry Potter elements.

Throwing together a generic Harry Potter-themed gift basket is easy. To make yours a truly memorable gift, put in the time and effort to make it unique to your recipient, taking into account their favorite characters, parts of the story, places, and other elements from the series.

Building a basket for a Ravenclaw? Add this gorgeous Ravenclaw goblet and a classic blue and bronze scarf. Are they obsessed with Dobby the house elf? Throw in a Dobby Funko Pop! and a pair of Harry Potter socks tucked into a Tom Riddle’s diary notebook!

Include some useful décor and fun activities.

The ideal gift basket will have a few things just for show, a few for fun, and a few your recipient can actually use. Find Harry Potter-inspired items that make a great display and serve a purpose too. Think about what the person receiving your basket is interested in and what would be useful to them.

For example, a Harry Potter gift basket for a teacher might include some cute themed desk accessories and a Hogwarts mug for their morning coffee. If your recipient enjoys interactive games in their free time, include a Harry Potter board game, puzzle or playing cards.

Add a taste of Hogwarts with a few yummy Harry Potter treats.

No Harry Potter gift basket is complete without a box of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Jellybeans! Supplement your main gifts and fill out the rest of your basket with these and other classic Harry Potter sweets or creative themed additions of your own.

Transport your Potterhead to Honeydukes when they bite into a chocolate frog or acid pop. Or, think a little outside of the box and throw in some pumpkin-flavored coffee beans, so they can brew some pumpkin juice with a little extra kick. You could even provide a butter beer recipe and the corresponding ingredients so they can create a delectable beverage worthy of the Leaky Cauldron!

Dress up the basket with Harry Potter touches too.

The key to creating any perfect gift basket? Presentation. Go all in with your Harry Potter theme not only with the contents of your gift basket, but with the basket itself!

Decorate your basket like a cauldron and add a few glass vials labeled as different potions for an authentic touch. Or, paint it with the house colors and emblem of your recipient to bring in that personalized element. If you’re a dedicated DIYer, you might even want to make it a Hogwarts “welcome basket”—complete with a handwritten Hogwarts letter, school supply list, and a chocolate wand to get them started on their magical journey.

While you might not be able to head into Diagon Alley to grab all of your wizarding gift basket essentials, you can still find everything you need at Otto’s Granary!

Whether you’re looking for chocolate frogs, Funko Pops!, board games and puzzles, or a miniature Hagrid’s hut, we have your favorite Harry Potter collectibles and novelty items available in store and online. Plus, we’re celebrating the June release of the first book in the U.K with special discounts on all of your Harry Potter favorites.

Shop our Harry Potter gifts online or at our Lubbock, TX store today and make your favorite Potterhead’s next celebration that much more magical!

As people have discovered more and more benefits to using organic, holistic personal care and healing methods, a huge market has opened up for natural skincare products. With so many options covered in pretty labels that say “chemical-free” and “natural ingredients”, it can be difficult to determine which products are actually worth trying.

Luckily at Otto’s, we happen to know (and carry!) one of the best-kept secrets in the natural skincare trade—kukui nut oil. Check out all of the great benefits this natural Hawaiian treatment has to offer!

1) Kukui nut oil is a great skin moisturizer.

Kukui nut oil is full of antioxidants (just like coffee and chocolate) such as Vitamins A, C, and E. These powerful compounds nourish the skin, helping to prevent breakage from dry skin and even promoting the growth of new skin cells. Plus, kukui nut oil leaves your skin feeling smooth and silky, but not greasy like many other products on the market.

2) Those same antioxidants help combat the effects of aging on the skin.

You know how we mentioned kukui nut oil can actually stimulate the growth of new skin cells? That’s because it boosts the production of collagen in the body. Higher collagen levels give you healthier, more radiant skin. As a result, kukui nut oil helps minimize the appearance of wrinkles, age spots, and stretch marks. It makes an especially good under eye treatment too, for preventing and softening crow’s feet.

3) Kukui nut oil also has healing properties.

Not only does this Hawaiian oil deeply moisturize your skin, it acts a skin protector and healer too. Along with those antioxidants, kukui nut oil is rich in fatty acids that reduce inflammation—particularly Omega-6s and Omega-3s. Applying it to the skin can sooth discomfort and itchiness, making it an effective treatment for conditions such as eczema and psoriasis. Hawaiians also use kukui nut oil to protect the skin against damage from the sun and wind, and sometimes even to treat radiation and chemical burns.

4) Kukui nut oil benefits your immune system.

The healing effects of the antioxidants found in kukui nut oil products penetrate deeper than you might think. When you use them as a moisturizer, your skin actually absorbs the oil, which then bolsters your immune system to help fight and prevent infection. The anti-inflammatory properties also work to relieve joint and muscle soreness and chronic pain caused by conditions like arthritis. Kukui nut oil can reduce swelling and pain from superficial injuries as well (cuts, bruises, scrapes) to speed up the healing process.

5) You can also use kukui nut oil as a hair treatment.

The fatty and amino acids in kukui nut oil that are so good for your skin can also work their magic on your hair and scalp. This oil works well as a leave-in treatment for hair that has been damaged and dried out, restoring health and shine. Its moisturizing effects also nourish the scalp, making it ideal for treating dandruff and itchiness.

Next time you head over to Otto’s Granary in person or online, don’t forget to add one of our Hawaiian bath and body products to your cart, so you can experience the magic of kukui nut oil for yourself! Grab a few ounces of lavender kukui oil to try or one of our shower sets (which also make the perfect gift). Between our kukui oil products and selection of fine chocolates and gourmet coffee, we’ve got your antioxidant fix covered.

Shop online for your favorite Otto’s items today and give us a call for more information about any of our products!

In Harry Potter, one of the most feared magical creatures in the wizarding world is a dementor. Dementors are horrible, ghoulish figures that hungrily feed on happiness, leaving any living creature in their presence feeling cold, miserable, and hopeless. The only antidote to restore those feelings of happiness once the dementors are gone? Chocolate!

While dementors, thankfully, only exist in this fantasy world, the beneficial impact of chocolate on our happiness is very real. What is it about this sweet and savory treat that raises our spirits and leaves a smile on our faces? Our chocolate experts will let you in on the secret!

The ingredients in chocolate trigger the release of endorphins in the brain.

Endorphins are a type of neurotransmitter—a chemical used to communicate between neurons—that reduce pain and increase pleasure, resulting in a “feel-good” effect we interpret as happiness. The magic ingredient in chocolate that is majorly responsible for triggering endorphin release is cacao.

The work of chocolate, however, does not stop at just endorphins.

Chocolate also stimulates the production of serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin—the other “feel good” chemicals our brain releases to make us feel happy.

Plus, chocolate contains its own mood-boosting and regulating chemicals for us to benefit from, including:

• Phenylethylamine—stimulates feelings of excitement & “butterflies” similar to falling in love
• Theobromine—boosts energy & enhances cognitive function
• Caffeine—improves mood & increases energy
• Flavonols—enhance mood & have long-term effects that contribute to increased happiness by reducing blood sugar and inflammation (two conditions linked to depression)

Dark vs. Milk Chocolate: Which one is better?

Because it’s the cacao that really drives the production of mood-boosting neurotransmitters in the brain, most experts agree that in terms of benefiting health and happiness, dark chocolate comes out on top. To make the sweet and creamy milk chocolate that we know and love, cacao is mixed with ingredients like milk and sugar to offset their bitter taste. In dark chocolate, however, fewer additional ingredients are added and we are left with a greater amount of pure cacao to boost our endorphins. So, as a general rule of thumb: the more cacao, the stronger the effects—but there is a catch.

It’s not just the ingredients in chocolate that make us happy, it’s also the experience of eating it.

To experience the full benefits that chocolate has on mood, it’s important that we actually enjoy the chocolate as we eat it. If you force yourself to choke down a 90% cacao chocolate bar that makes you scrunch your face in bitterness with every bite, you’re not exactly going to be bursting with happiness. You need something with enough of the cacao to feel the effects, but not so much that you no longer enjoy the taste. Chocolate with 60-70% cacao is usually that sweet spot.

Another factor that contributes to our enjoyment of eating chocolate is that most of us have been psychologically conditioned to feel happier when we do.

Growing up, children are often given chocolate as a reward or special treat. As a result, we develop positive associations with the consumption of chocolate, such as feelings of comfort and achievement. This positive response is ingrained in us and subconsciously triggered when we eat chocolate throughout our lives.

So, the next time you’re feeling down—like a dementor has sucked out all of your happiness—try fighting your sorrows with the power of chocolatey goodness.

Make sure you’re ready to boost your mood (or someone else’s) at a moment’s notice by stocking up on your favorite gourmet chocolates from Otto’s Granary! Choose from chocolate gift boxes by top brands like Godiva, Neuhaus, and more to satisfy your every craving.

Head to our website to order your chocolate online today and have it shipped right to your door!