The Truth About What It Takes to Create Premium Medicine
Dear Vee/Ra Family,
For the past two years, we've kept Vee/Ra prices unchanged because we desired accessibility – we wanted this medicine to reach as many people as possible. We are all navigating a reality of constant stimulation, and our intention was to create products that truly nourish the body through stressful times. We wanted to offer something we ourselves could afford if we saw it on a shelf.
Our hearts were in the right place. What we didn't realise was how much it would cost – not just financially, but energetically – to maintain premium quality without premium pricing.
This is the story of what we've learned about value, sustainability, and what it actually takes to honour medicine properly.
THE TRUTH ABOUT VALUE
Let me share an inside story about cacao specifically, as it reflects everything we've learned about value.
Since 2022, global cacao prices have experienced historic increases – breaking all previous records. Climate change, poor farming practices, and decreased soil fertility have created scarcity. At the same time, there's been an explosion of interest in ceremonial cacao within wellness and spiritual communities. The demand has grown exponentially since I began working with cacao ceremonially in 2017.
For years, I absorbed costs to keep cacao accessible. I wanted as many people as possible to experience this medicine. But what I observed over time was a paradox I wasn't prepared for.
THE PARADOX OF ACCESSIBILITY
When cacao became more affordable through bulk pricing, people could consume more daily – often to replace coffee, sugar, or other stimulants. This is beautiful in theory. We absolutely want people transitioning to healthier choices.
But here's the uncomfortable truth I've learned through my nutritional work, both in my own journey and observing in others: in our healing journey, we often trade one crutch for another. We find the "silver bullet" everyone says is good for us, and we lean into it heavily during our wellness transition. Instead of relating to cacao as a sacred ally we work with intentionally, it becomes the new thing we reach for to get through the day.
I've witnessed over-consumption of cacao within myself when I first begun and in spiritual and wellness communities – treating cacao like coffee's "healthy" replacement. The substance changed, but the pattern of dependence didn't.
This is the transformation work we want to talk about: It's not just about swapping "bad" for "good." It's about becoming aware of what we're clinging to in the process of change. Are we in relationship with the plant, or are we using it to bypass the uncomfortable work of actual nervous system regulation?
When something is too accessible and affordable, we risk the possibility of not developing reverence for it. We may unconsciously enter into consuming it rather than communing with it.
Keeping prices low, unknowingly, may be enabling this pattern if we are not aware. I thought I was helping people access medicine. What I've learned is that proper pricing creates proper relationship. When you invest in the medicine appropriately, you're more likely to use it consciously, ceremonially, with the respect it deserves.
This taught me: undervaluing the medicine has the potential to teach others to undervalue what it offers.
THE REALITY OF CREATING PREMIUM MEDICINE
The same principle applies to all our ingredients – not just cacao.
Premium extracts, ethical sourcing, small-batch creation – these aren't buzzwords for us. They're non-negotiables. We won't undercut quality even when it means undercutting ourselves. But we've learned that's not sustainable.
Here's the reality of being a grassroots South African business: we're at the mercy of wholesale suppliers who import herbs and superfoods. We work with the best, most trustworthy sources available here, but we have no control over their costs. Import prices, exchange rates, global supply chain issues – we absorb it all while trying to keep your prices stable.
For two years, we've been absorbing increases, hoping to grow enough to eventually control our own supply chain and cut out the middleman. But we can't get there if we bleed out first.
Formulating and birthing our three complex, potent elixirs – Mood Magick, Moon Mylk, and Ritual Roots – was the first milestone for Vee/Ra. Little did we know that these intricate formulas would take us down a road to truly understand the value of sourcing high-quality, ethically sourced ingredients without compromise.
We've learned what it actually costs to create medicine that works – medicine that's potent enough to create real shifts in the nervous system, sourced ethically enough to honour the plants and the people who cultivate them, crafted intentionally enough to hold the energetic integrity we're committed to.
And we've learned that we can't continue to offer this at prices that don't reflect its true value.
THE SHIFT: WHAT'S CHANGING AND WHY
Starting 1 February 2026, our prices will reflect the true value of what we create.
Here's what this allows:
Continue sourcing the highest quality, ethically sourced ingredients
Pay fair wages to everyone involved in bringing this medicine to you
Sustain the business so it can continue to exist and evolve
Most importantly: practice what we preach
That last point is crucial. We cannot operate in survival mode (sympathetic nervous system) while creating medicine meant to bring people into flow (parasympathetic nervous system). The irony isn't lost on us – how can we offer nervous system regulation if we ourselves are dysregulated trying to keep the business alive?
To stay true to Vee/Ra's essence, we – the core founders – need to take our own medicine. We need to cultivate a harmonious, sustainable environment for this work. We need to honour our own nervous systems while we ask you to honour yours.
This price increase is us honouring the plants, the process, and the medicine. It's us trusting that those who are meant for this work will recognise its value. It's us modelling what it looks like to claim worth and establish healthy boundaries – even when it's uncomfortable.
We're feeling tenderness that our original intention, though beautiful, wasn't sustainable. The desire to make medicine accessible came from genuine love and service. We're not apologising for this change, we are simply claiming what this medicine is worth, and I'm trusting you to see it too.
HONOURING YOU
For those who've supported us at the original prices – thank you. Truly. You've been part of this learning journey with us. You've helped us understand what we're actually creating here, and what it requires to do it properly.
As you have been our family from the beginning, we're offering a once-off 15% discount code on your next order with us. This will be emailed to you once you've placed an order before the price increase takes effect.
Before the increase takes effect on 1 February 2026, current prices remain available for online purchases.
We encourage you to stock up if these products have become part of your rhythm, and we honour that the new pricing may not be accessible to everyone. If that's the case, we understand. The medicine will be here when you're ready, or perhaps other plant allies are calling you for this season.
THE INVITATION FORWARD
The medicine remains the same – potent, intentional, transformative. And we're expanding the vision.
Rather than dilute the quality of our current blends to offer lower price points, we're creating tiered product offerings: simpler blends for everyday use alongside our current functional elixirs for intentional medicinal support. Different price points, same commitment to quality. This way, there will be entry points for different needs and budgets without compromising what makes Vee/Ra special.
We're also reimagining how we offer Mood Magick, Moon Mylk, and Ritual Roots – not just as standalone products, but as part of intentional nutritional journeys. Guided containers with daily practices, community support, and specific time-bound commitments for transformation. This is how these potent elixirs are meant to be worked with – ceremonially, in sacred containers, with intention and awareness.
Our first journey launches soon: Caffeine Detox with Vee/Ra (more details coming in November).
This is what becomes possible when Vee/Ra is sustainable – we can create more, serve deeper, and honour the medicine properly. We can build the education and community containers these plants deserve. We can continue to exist and evolve with you.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
This has been one of the most vulnerable and important lessons in our journey: learning to value our work properly, to trust that quality and integrity are worth investing in, and to model the nervous system regulation we're inviting others into.
If you've read this far, thank you for witnessing this process with us. Thank you for being part of a community that values depth over convenience, quality over quantity, and sacred relationship over mindless consumption.
The plants have always been the teachers. They've taught us about potency, about timing, about what it means to be medicine. Now they're teaching us about worth.
Thank you for being here. Thank you for understanding. Thank you for valuing this work.
With deep gratitude,
Matthew Gabriel Founder, Vee/Ra Botanical Blends
Current pricing available until 1 February 2026. New pricing effective 1 February 2026. Questions? Email us at info@veera.co.za.