Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Valentine’s Day Chocolates: Fair Trade and Slave Free options


The tradition of giving chocolates on Valentine’s Day can be traced back to the days of the Aztecs, who believed that chocolate was a source of spiritual wisdom and sexual prowess. While chocolate and spiritual wisdom is questionable, we know that chocolate is an aphrodisiac. But, how sexy is chocolate when you realize what it takes to get from bean to box?

West Africa is the largest producer of cocoa, with approximately 35 percent of the world’s supply of cocoa harvested from the Ivory Coast. This region is also known for its use of child slave labor. Children as young as seven, with the median age of 12, are either kidnapped or sold by their own families to work harvesting cocoa. Can you imagine your 7-year-old climbing up a cocoa tree, while wielding a machete, hacking down a cocoa pod, and hoping that the child doesn’t hack off a body part or fall to their death? Not a very sexy thought is it? Of course, not all cocoa is harvested under such conditions and we all have the opportunity to pitch in for change by purchasing chocolate that is Fair Trade and Slave Free.

Below is a list of Fair Trade and Slave Free companies for a truly loving Valentine’s Day gift of chocolate:
  1. Alter Eco Chocolates
  2. CocoaVino
  3. Divine Chocolate
  4. Dagoba Organic Chocolate
  5. Endangered Species Chocolate
  6. Equal Exchange Chocolate
  7. Green and Black's Organic Chocolate
  8. Himalania Choclate
  9. Madécasse Chocolate
  10. Mama Ganache
  11. Newman's Own Organic Chocolates
  12. Organic Bouquet Truffles
  13. Rescue Chocolate
  14. Shaman Chocolates
  15. Sweetriot Chocolates
  16. Sjaak's Organic Chocolates
  17. Smith Organic Chocolate
  18. Theo Chocolate
  19. Taza Chocolates
The 19 companies listed above are just a few companies committed to fair trade, slave free chocolate production. For a more extensive list, that includes other sexy gift ideas for Valentine’s Day, please visit Fair Trade USA. Happy Valentine’s Day!



No comments:

Post a Comment

Share Your Thoughts!

window.setTimeout(function() { document.body.className = document.body.className.replace('loading', ''); }, 10);