Una Leonard, from 2210 Patisserie, has teamed up with Chupi Sweetman, of Chupi jewellery, to give someone a very special gift this spooky season.
Both run businesses in the Powerscourt centre and have teamed up to create the offer, with donations going to the Irish Cancer Society.
A limited number of barmbracks are available to order now, with the chance of winning a €1,000 Chupi gift coin that can be spent on anything you please from their collection.
“For all of us, cutting the brack was such a core childhood memory. I remember the excitement when mum was making it and then waiting for the slice, the anxiety of it all and wondering if the ring was in my slice,” Ms Sweetman said.
“Sometimes we can dismiss our traditions and think they’re really old-fashioned. The best gift my mum gave us was the idea to honour some traditions and make the rest your own.
“I fell in love with jewellery because it’s a piece of the future you’re making a ring today that someone is going to wear for the rest of their lives and then pass on it.
“It’s the ultimate tradition in that idea of the magic of moments and memory and tradition. It’s why I have such fondness for my own family traditions.
“Everyone needs a little bit of magic, and we get so caught up in the practical things we have to do. There’s such magic to the idea of the whimsical. Only one person in 1,000 is going to have this ring.
“We talked about putting the actual ring in, but there was a little bit of anxiety of shipping out thousands of bracks with one of them having a €1,000 gold ring.
“So, instead of a gift voucher which is a soulless plastic card, we have a beautiful gold coin. It’s a gorgeous, big chunky gold coin like pirate treasure.
“The brack is going to start shipping on October 28, because Una wants them fresh for Halloween. We’re doing a bake along on Instagram live and we’ll find out on Halloween day who the winner is.”
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Speaking about Una, who set up shop next door to Chupi last year, she believes the friendship was meant to be.
“Una has an incredible story and a passion for what she does that could light up a room. I knew then that I wanted to do something extra special with her,” Ms Sweetman said.
“Una has made this beautiful chocolate pecan cake and a brack because many of us are not huge brack fans, but love the tradition.
“Una moved in next door last November. I fell in love with her, she’s incredible. Her mum has breast cancer, and she’s got this amazing attitude to life. She’s a little force of nature. I thought this was such a gorgeous idea.
“When Una’s mum used to bake the brack, she put coins in and not rings. It felt like such a gorgeous synchronicity. We do a lot to champion women, the idea of empowerment and equality, women in entrepreneurship.
“I’m a mentor on a program called Going for Growth which is a female entrepreneurship program with an ambition to scale and grow incredible female businesses.
“Una has actually been through the program as well. There were all these things that tied us together. Two very opinionated, very passionate women who want to change the world.”
