Invest in your chocolate, invest in your planet
Your choice of chocolate can truly make a difference.
Did you know, the majority of chocolate available in UK is not good for the planet,
or its people.
Big-industry chocolate, which encompasses the well known brands commonly seen lining the supermarket shelves, is not a true representation of what chocolate should be. It is extremely cheap because of exploitative slave labour practices, uses poor quality cocoa beans, encourages deforestation to grow masses of poor quality cocoa plants, and is filled with cheap ingredients like sugar and palm oil to ‘bulk’ it out. The majority of this cheap chocolate is produced in West Africa, in countries such as
Ghana and The Ivory Coast.
The big-name brands know that consumers are becoming more conscious of food origins and demanding of sustainability, and have started to include smiling cocoa farmer pictures and 'together we'll make chocolate 100% slave free' logos. Yet they still use cheap West African cocoa, low-grade chocolate, and keep
sugar as the primary ingredient.
On top of it all, many of these bars and 'sweet treats' are packaged in plastic wrappers and boxes, many of which cannot even be recycled.
But it doesn’t have to be this way.
Since we began in 2002, we have used fine quality, single origin cocoa, local ingredients wherever possible, and have always offered our chocolates in our distinctive plastic-free gridded box.
We are very proud to work directly in partnership with dedicated chocolate producers in Colombia, Ecuador, and Madagascar, who maintain sustainable, slave-free cocoa farms. This direct purchase trade model is known as RaiseTrade, and it is similar to Fair Trade, but even better for all involved.
Fine, single origin chocolate is made with wonderful varietals of cocoa beans such as Criollo, Trinitario, Arriba Nacional, Fino de Aroma & Sur del Lago, pure cocoa butter (& no vegetable fats or palm oil) and cane sugar.
These fine cocoa beans varietals account for approximately 15% of world cocoa production, and our direct trade partners, who grow these varietals, practice sustainable growing methods.
By crafting chocolate at origin (as in the RaiseTrade model), producers and farmers are adding significantly more value to their local economies as they are literally raising the value of their trade by exporting added value finished products vs low-value commodity dried cocoa beans (even fairtrade dried beans).
This raises the value of these exports, and our partner chocolate companies are therefore employing higher skilled labour and creating a local supply chain, as well as using other local ingredients, such as cane sugar, and generating higher tax revenues. Better for everyone all round!
Along with using the finest chocolate, all of our handcrafted chocolates are packaged in 100% plastic-free packaging, and posted in plastic-free packaging too.
As well as being better for the planet, fine, single origin chocolate is also far nicer to eat and showcases the incredible flavour of different chocolates!
So this Earth Day, make a difference with your chocolate choices. By investing in quality, sustainable, single origin chocolate, you are not only enjoying a wonderful treat, but you are also investing in our planet.