Where India Meets a Love of Plants
Before the workshop, the recipes and the pouches, this was first and foremost a human adventure — rich, singular, and unlike any other.
Born from a Passion for Plants
Step into the world of Shiva Blends
Searching for an Alternative
Eventually, we worked out which plants did the job and which ones did not. But even the best arrived full of stems, wood and bits we had absolutely no desire to smoke.
"I wasn’t trying to build a business. I was simply looking for something that could help me break free from nicotine."
Exploring Tobacco Alternatives
On paper, they were exactly what we had been looking for. In reality… they were so bad, haha.
The taste, the texture, the burn — everything was off. The blend burned poorly and ended up ruining the very thing it was meant to complement.
That was when I thought: what if I made my own blends? My own trials, my own experiments?
"I understood it later: behind that disappointment was an almost empty market."
The Himalayas, and the Name Shiva
Before Shiva Blends, I worked as a motion designer in Parisian advertising. But that work no longer brought enough meaning to my life.
Four years of travelling through India, Nepal and the mountains taught me to see change differently — cycles, and our place within the living world. That was where the name Shiva found its full meaning, deeply connected to the traditional cannabis culture of the Himalayas.
"This name holds a real part of my journey —a deep connection I feel with Shiva."
The First Blend Is Born in Goa
He introduced me to yoga and to certain Indian traditions surrounding plants and smoke. One day, he gave me several bags of plants and told me how much promise they held as an alternative to tobacco.
"I spent months creating recipes. And then, one day, I found the recipe."
Midnight Express was the first blend.And it was divine.
It complemented flowers and resins without masking their flavour. The texture worked. So did the burn. At last, everything felt natural.
"I never even thought about selling it. It was the people who tried it who began asking me for more."
That recipe became Midnight Express.
Discover Midnight ExpressThe Creation of Shiva Blends
I remember the day I sat down, after receiving a little money from my grandmother, to prepare the next chapter of my life. I wrote down three ideas — Shiva Blends was one of them.
I had no idea that this decision would become years of work, trials, recipes and botanical obsession — all of it shaped by hand, in France.
"Shiva Blends has become an integral part of my journey."
Hand-Sorted in Our French Workshops
Plants, flowers and leaves are sorted by hand so that only the finest parts remain: as few stems as possible, and as many flowers as possible. Craftsmanship makes all the difference.
Botanical Knowledge, Uncompromising Craftsmanship
Behind every blend lie years of learning about plants — and a standard of care you may not always see inside the pouch, but one that changes everything.
Plants, Not Twigs
We remove the stems, wood and woody parts. We keep only the finest parts of the plant.
Considered Sourcing
We choose high-quality plants and, whenever possible, work directly with growers.
The Touch of the Hand
Much of the work is done by hand in our workshop: observing, adjusting, and caring for the result at every stage.
Living Knowledge
Indian traditions, Ayurveda, and years of research and experimentation: every plant has to earn its place in the recipe.
Growing Without Becoming What We Left Behind
We want to make truly good products.
But not by becoming the kind of company we ourselves would dislike.
No Manipulation for the Sake of a Sale
We do not want to play on people’s fears, impulses or vulnerabilities to push them into buying.
No fake urgency. No manufactured fear. No mechanisms designed to bypass their judgement.
No Money Disconnected from What We Are Building
We do not want investors who believe in neither the product, nor its values, nor the people building it.
We do not want to feed a system in which a few people remain passive while money works on their behalf.
No Pointless Hierarchy
We choose responsibility, collaboration and the free flow of ideas over titles and concentrated power.
Building a company should not mean reproducing the very structures we set out to leave behind.
It may take longer.
That’s okay.