Call it Divine intervention, but I ran into Dana from Divine Chocolate, a fair-trade chocolate company, twice last week. The most recent crossing of paths took place at the Family Farmed Media Meet-up, where she was kind enough to give me little chocolate swag bag.
As a chocoholic, I admit I'm not as picky as I should be about my chocolate. I'm not talking picky in terms of fat content or percentage of cacoa, I'm talking about the conditions under which the cocoa is harvested. Check out Adrienne's post over at Baby Toolkit to learn more about chocolate's dark, dirty secret. (And tell her congrats on her new baby girl!)
Quoting from her November 2007 post:
So... when I found out that virtually every American chocolate bar is tainted with child slavery (enacted in Africa), I didn't want to believe it. Knight-Ridder had a series of articles outing the use of child slaves to harvest cocoa and coffee beans* in the Ivory Cost and Mali. It's fallen off most of the news site because it's age (2001), but it's been reprinted here.
There are alternatives, though. Divine Chocolate is one of them. Known as a pioneer among socially responsible enterprises, the cocoa farmers own a percentage of the company (30% of the US branch and their business practices are on the up-and-up.
Sounds good, but how does it taste? I'm giving away two Divine Chocolate Bars- one milk, one dark. I think they are each one ounce of chocolaty fair trade goodness. (I had to hide them so I don't eat them myself!)
To enter, simply leave a comment by midnight, Saturday November 22. I'll pick a winner at random and send out the chocolate (we're past melting weather, right?) U.S. residents only, please.
This is not a sponsored contest, just a random act of kindness and small celebration of my return to this blog, which was largely ignored in 2008.
27 comments:
Feeling super guilty about how many little kids had to suffer to feed my chocolate addiction over the years. Bad, bad Naomi.
Wow, I'm happy to purchase fair trade chocolate to support my addiction! Thanks for the giveaway!
Chocolate you can feel good about eating.
Now just explain that to my hips!
It's amazing how much is coming to light about all these different industries these days. I'm glad we are finally opening our eyes and ears and learning more and taking more steps to fix things.
Chocolate? Did someone say chocolate? I can't think of a better way to honor your blog or the blogosphere than with a fair trade giveaway.
Add me, Please???
Chocolate? I'm in!
Yummy!
You said chocolate and I ran over here! ;)
Great giveaway. I had no idea there was such a thing as fair trade chocolate, either, and now I know!
I'm not as picky as I should be, either, but I think I'm going to start!
thanks for informing me about the cruel american chocolate. ugh. of course something that tastes so wonderful has repercussions. thanks for your kind giveaway!
Wow - I've been buying fair trade coffee, but never thought too far about chocolate. Thanks for the post!
I'm not picky about my chocolate either, except that I like it plain. No nuts or fillings.
Divine Chocolate sounds, well, divine.
Count me in, and great info, thanks. Got the coffee down, guess chocolate is next.
I'm so in! I'd keep the milk chocolate for myself and give the dark chocolate to my MIL!
Was not aware of the child slavery issue. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.
I have to admit, I never, ever knew about chocolate adn the child labor and honestly, now it makes me really upset - I love me some chocolate - but at what price?
Wow, I'm really in awe, I never knew!! I'm so glad I found your tweet about this!
I love chocolate! I never got tired of it - even after having 5 different desserts at Club Med each night!
This is so great, from Rita Cook.
Any friend of chocolate is a friend of mine! Kim from Club Med! Hola!
Chocolate for a good cause? Tastes good to me!! :) Morgan
Guilt free chocolate? Yes! Yum!
wow, I didn't know that American chocolate was actually harvested elsewhere by children who should be studying-not working. As wife to a man who never got an education and worked at 7-8 years old in Guatemala, lifting up 100 lbs bags on his back of beans, corn, etc... I know how heartbreaking this story really is. Thanks for the eye opener and letting me know about fair trade chocolate.
micaela6955 at msn dot com
I could really use some guilt free chocolate. Seriously, it's an addiction of mine...
Chocolate that is.
You learn something new everyday. Thanks for giving me today's lesson, as sad as it is.
If you're giving away chocolate, I'm definitely in!
mmmmmmm--Count me in!
When we did the videos for the Field Museums "Chocolate!" show, we learned that the chocolate producers had snowed the Africans who were growing cocoa, telling them that chocolate is too complicated to produce without machinery. Meanwhile, the Mexicans have been fermenting chocolate in their own backyards for millenium.
The African kids who grew up on cocoa farms licked the sweet white covering of the beans to get a treat. Most of them never tasted chocolate.
So I'm so glad to see companies like Divine in the marketplace. Once you try them you'll turn your nose up at Hersheys and that in turn will help the kids in Africa in the long run. Vote with your pocketbook!
Gaylon
Post a Comment