Beloved Somaslurpers,

The bad news is that we’ve had a couple of very last-minute medical withdrawals from this year’s Soma Easter Retreat. The good news is that we now have two free last-minute spaces!

Join us in paradise for your very own Soma Easter journey. Events start on Thursday evening with a meet-and-greet at Farmer John Goodman’s cacao farm (the only commercial organic cacao farm in Australia and the source of our Daintree Soma Cacao) on the edge of the world heritage-listed, magnificent Daintree Rainforest.

We’ll have sparkles beneath the stars (wine or water), followed by a big steaming bowl of Farmer John’s famous Linguine Alfredo, a Soma Cacao nightcap, and shuttle to our accommodation at the Daintree Eco-Lodge. Please BYO cheese.

On Friday we’ll rise early to spend a day working* (*for legal reasons we will be unable to pay you) on Farmer John’s farm. Learn the ins and outs of organic cacao farming from a leading world expert, including a discussion of optimal cacao growing conditions, ecosystem balance, natural pest control, and responsible land stewardship. We’ll run a ‘Fertilise Your Own Egg’ station for those interested in organic management of soil pH and mineral levels.

We’ll spend the afternoon picking, carting, sorting, and opening cacao pods in Farmer John’s on-farm cacao processing station. We’ll conclude at 6pm for nibbles and drinks, and a sunset swim at the pristine Cassowary Creek.

On Friday evening we have spare time. Recommended activities include night-time nature walk and dreaming stories with proud Yalanji man Jett, a trip to the Hotel Mossman to enjoy some FNQ hospitality, or a moonlit crocodile cruise with Daintree Wildlife Tours at Cassowary Creek.

On Saturday we shuttle to Soma HQ in Mission Beach, where the group will split up, and either spend the day working* at our Soma centre, or helping Farmer Chris Jahnke at Charley’s Chocolate Farm. We will conclude at 5pm for a chocolate-making class (and chocolate tasting!) with Farmer Chris, followed by an Easter Saturday bonfire and singalong at the beautiful Bingil Bay, the only place in Australia where two world-heritage ecosystems meet (rainforest and Great Barrier Reef). Soma founder Rose will sing traditional Easter songs, accompanied by co-founder Alistair on the flute.

On Sunday morning we will enjoy a full Soma Cacao cacao ceremony, featuring several of our award-winning origins, followed by an Easter Egg hunt for Charley’s Chocolate Easter Eggs, conducted among the very cacao trees on which the eggs grew! Winner (by number of uneaten eggs returned) will receive a full Soma Cacao foot massage conducted by our warehouse manager and longtime Lomi Lomi practitioner Angela.

The rest of the crew will enjoy Sunday working* either at the Soma Centre or Charley’s Chocolate (we will swap so everyone in the group gets to enjoy both). Sunday night will be free time, and on Monday morning we’ll shuttle you back to Cairns airport.

We can’t wait to meet you and share our beloved Easter tradition with you. If this experience sounds like something you or a loved one would enjoy, please respond “APRIL FOOLS” to this email for more details.

With linguine and crocodiles,