Fair Trade Chocolate

Did you know that 70% of cocoa beans are grown in West Africa, where children are often forced to labor on farms with horrendous conditions? It’s even possible that buying non-Fair Trade chocolate could support child slavery and trafficking. Sometimes it seems like buying fair trade is not just the right choice, but the only choice.

We have a sweet tooth for fair trade chocolate, and we’re always looking to try new and unique varieties. Whether you’re snacking on Jungle Chocolate, cooking with fair trade cocoa, drinking fair trade hot chocolate, or just eating square after square of Divine Chocolate on a lazy afternoon, fair trade chocolate is as good for the farmers and developing communities as it is to eat! And when you’re sure you’ve had too much chocolate, pass that sweet fairly-traded feeling onto a friend. Giving fair trade products as a gift is a great way to introduce people to fair trade and bring them into the movement.

If you would also like to support this fair and responsible industry, check out these brands/companies that make/sell fair trade chocolate:

Chocolate Brand	Comments
Divine Chocolate	In the fall of 1998, Divine launched the first ever Fair Trade chocolate bar aimed at the masses onto the UK confectionery market. In an exciting new business model, the co-operative of cocoa farmers in Ghana own shares in the company making the chocolate bar. Now they sell their chocolate in the US as well, and it comes in many sizes and flavors!
Global Exchange's cocoa campaign	Global Exchange has really good educational resources in their website, specific to fair trade cocoa. They organize campaigns surrounding holidays such as Valentine's Day and Halloween, where everyone can organize fair trade events in their communities. They have community organizing kits, teaching kits, and much more.
Equal Exchange chocolate	Their organic fairly-traded gourmet chocolate bars are a rich and delicious treat that supports small-scale farmers and their families. The bars combine famous Swiss standards in chocolate making with cocoa from the farmer co-operatives CONACADO, in the Dominican Republic, COCABO, in Panama, and CACVRA, in Peru; fairly traded organic sugar from co-operatives in Paraguay and Costa Rica; and fairly traded vanilla from Madagascar. They also have other cocoa products.
Jungle Chocolate	Yachana Jungle Chocolate is unlike any other chocolate on the market; it is chocolate in its purest form - 100% roasted cacao beans, sweetened with just a touch of sugar cane juice. Unlike traditionally processed chocolate that contains sugars, milk, cocoa powder, butters, lecithin, and other artificial ingredients, Jungle Chocolate is truly natural and dairy free. Jungle Chocolate doesn't melt and requires no refrigeration, making it the perfect choice at home or on the go. It's a great high-energy snack and is a delicious ingredient in ice cream, desserts, cereal, and trail mix.
Trader Joe's Conacado Organic Fair Trade Cocoa	Trader Joe's is an ethical grocery store carrying sustainable products, amongst them chocolate. This hot chocolate costs $4.49 for 12 ounces and is delicious, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Dagoba Chocolate	Sourced from Latin, Central, and South America, Dagoba chocolate was founded in 2001 by Frederick Schilling, who was then just 30 and on a mission. He was determined to create exceptional, innovative chocolate that would benefit people, planet, and industry. They have an award winning product line, definitely worth checking out.
Dean's Beans Java Drops, Hot Cocoa, and Baker's Cocoa	Apart from coffee, Dean's Beans also carries fairly traded chocolate and cocoa products.
Sweet Earth Organic Chocolates	Offers a variety of chocolate products, all certified organic and Fair Trade. They believe that capitalism comes in different flavors--not just the survival-of-the-fittest sort, but a softer, kinder, and more sustainable way of doing business that considers the needs of our planet and its people.
Cocoa Camino	Canada-based company offering certified Fair Trade chocolate from Central and South America. Their line of premium Fair Trade Certified and certified organic chocolate, cocoa and sugar products are produced by La Siembra Co-operative.

About Fair Trade

Fair Trade Chocolate