Tag Archive: fair trade

Equal Exchange 80% Dark from Panama

I eat chocolate bars from Equal Exchange all the time, and I assumed that I reviewed them as I consumed them. I was wrong! It’s been a while since I’ve reviewed one of their bars, so I aim to correct that. Today’s review is a single origin, 80% dark chocolate, made from the cacao beans grown in Panama.

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BarkTHINS Snacking Chocolate

Last month I wrote a review of 7th Street Confection’s Dark Chocolate Thins (Raspberry & Quinoa). I thought they were pretty tasty.

Today, I have an extremely similar product from BarkTHINS®. To the best of my knowledge, BarkTHINS came first, in 2013. The flavor is different, but the concept is the same; thin dark chocolate pieces with inclusions. Today I’m trying Dark Chocolate Pumpkin Seed with Sea Salt.

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Equal Exchange Extreme Dark Chocolate

A couple days ago I found myself grabbing a chocolate to eat not realizing it was going to upset a status quo I’ve had for many years.

This chocolate came to me by way of a wedding anniversary present, and it was new to me. The chocolate, at 88% cacao, is a rare find because it’s such a high percentage. For some people, you might as well call it baking chocolate! No doubt my friend, Kathy, would make a scrunchy face if she had even a lick of this bar.

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Alter Eco Dark Quinoa Organic Chocolate

I like Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah). I’ve had it in cold salads and in warm hot dishes. And, just recently, I’ve eaten it crispy and surrounded by delicious dark chocolate!

The Alter Eco brand Dark Quinoa Organic Chocolate bar is absolutely wonderful. The chocolate is 60% Ecuadorian, and the puffed Quinoa is Royal Pearl Bolivian.

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Fairtrade Certified Chocolate Trend CUO

Fair Trade Certified Chocolate – Rising Trend

Have you picked up a chocolate product lately and noticed a small stamp on the package?

It looks like a little person, and says "Fair Trade Certified."

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Harry Potter Chocolate Certified Fair-Trade

Big news from the wizarding world. Just before Christmas, Harry Potter studio Warner Bros. pledged that chocolates associated with Harry Potter will have to be certified fair-trade or be approved by UTZ by the end of 2015, if not sooner. This includes chocolate products sold at Warner Bros. outlets, and through its licensed partners.

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No To Child-Slavery Laden Chocolates

While we all claim to love chocolate, many of us aren’t even aware of the heavy use of child labor in West African cocoa farms, where about 70% of the world’s chocolate comes from. More than 109,000 children are nearly enslaved under “the worst forms of child labor”, according to the US Department of State.

In an attempt to cut costs, cocoa plantation owners get children to work against their will. To add insult to injury, they work for hours on end without any pay.

In response to this madness, activists, NGOs and international organizations started to campaign for awareness about child-slavery laden chocolates. By doing so, they expect consumers will take some initiative to demand change.

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Theo Chocolate Is Expanding

Theo Chocolate is a prominent organic chocolate manufacturer based in the Fremont area of Seattle.  They have recently been able to raise some funds in order to upgrade their equipment and expand factories.  This is in an effort to increase production to cope up with the ever increasing demands from loyal clients and customers.

Theo boasts chocolates that are dubbed "amazing, delicious, mind-bendingly wonderful." But it transcends more than just chocolate to include multitudes of people, lands, dedication, as well as the interrelated relationships.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has openly stated that Theo Chocolate has so far been able to gather up to $500,000 out of its $2 million targeted amount.
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Equal Exchange Very Dark Chocolate

The Equal Exchange brand Very Dark Chocolate (71% Cacao) is organic and uses 100% fair trade ingredients. Equal Exchange Very Dark ChocolateThe chocolaty richness of this bar is absolutely excellent. I love the fruity notes that come right away at the beginning and the soft, vanilla cocoa that lingers in the finish. This is one of my favorite chocolates and at 71%, is the best in that percentage range.

This bar is made from cacao from farmer owned co-operatives in CONACADO, a famous cocoa growing region in the Dominican Republic, and CACVRA, in Peru.
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Equal Exchange Chocolates

The Equal Exchange Co-op sells organic, fair-trade, premium chocolate bars.  The chocolate is purchased from small-scale farmers and their families. The chocolate is made in the Swiss tradition from co-operatives in the Dominican Republic, Panama, Peru, and Ecuador.

You can go online to buy their products but chances are you will see them being sold as fundraisers for faith-based organizations, at community events, holiday bazaars and fairs, and even in farmers’ markets.

Equal Exchange - mini 55%I was given a mini-sized 55% dark chocolate bar for a tasting sample at a volunteer fair last week.  It was delicious!  (I bought a full-size 71% dark for later!)
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