Chocolates with a Cause "Give me the chocolate, and no one gets hurt." Oh, how we love to make little jokes about our deep, dark obsession with chocolate. What’s worse than these frivolous quips, however, is the bitter truth that most of the chocolate we eat hurts more than our waistlines. West African farmers spend long hours under the sun extracting seeds from cacao fruit, and thereafter, fermenting, drying and roasting to turn the beans into chocolate bars. The whole practice however, earns a small cocoa farm only about $2 per capita per day. Most of the chocolate consumed in the world supports a system of industrial practices that are not all that different from the sweatshops that manufacture pirated designer goods. It is estimated that up to 6 percent of child workers from the Ivory Coast, a major world supplier of cocoa, are victims of human trafficking or slavery. While much has been done to fight against unfair working conditions, confectionery giants in the chocolate industry have artfully slipped under the radar. Thankfully, it doesn’t mean we have to forgo these sweet treats forever. Enter the rise of boutique chocolatiers, a brigade of Fair Trade companies that are changing the way we shop and savor. Some notable ones from the United States include Askinosie which delivers delicious yet sustainable chocolate. It has expanded the philosophy of “ownership culture” by giving 10 percent of its net profits back to cocoa farmers. There’s also Tcho, Silicon Valley’s producer of robust dark chocolate bars. Located in the heart of San Francisco, Tcho hopes to educate and empower farmers to become quality producers. Many other providers of sustainable chocolates have entered the U.S market in recent years. So if you happen to be in the States, do help to raise the bar by purchasing chocolates with TransFair USA’s Fair Trade logo on their packaging. Adapted from Guilt-free Chocolate by Natasha Green on MSN Green. Natasha is a regular blogger for MSN Green and can be reached at n.ann.jacob@gmail.com. Back to Organization/Back to Home