Organic Forums: Chocolate

Knowing Fair Trade and Certified Organic chocolate companies

Today, there are more fair trade chocolate companies and brands specializing in organic chocolate ingredients than ever. Whether you're looking for chocolate gifts for a special occasion or a quick snack for the road, your eco-shopping trip will be much less hassle today that it would have been even five years ago.

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So breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that you no longer have to struggle over where to buy earth friendly chocolate products. We've collected a long list of the highest quality, most ethically-sound, and most popular chocolate companies and organic chocolate brands. Give them a gander, share them with your friends, and above all, celebrate your choice to live a greener, more socially-aware life!

A Guide to Fair Trade, Organic Chocolate Companies

Alter Eco

Using only Certified Organic and Certified Fair Trade chocolate, as well as fair trade, organic sugar, nuts, raisins, and coffee beans, Alter Eco's chocolates are also free of artificial flavors, sweeteners, chemical additives, and emulsifiers.

Dagoba Organic

Dagoba Organic Chocolate's belief in chocolate as a sacred food (dagoba means temple in Sanskrit) is made from organic cocoa beans from a variety of countries, including Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Peru.

Divine Chocolate

Organized by farmers, the Divine Chocolate company works with small cocoa producers primarily in West Africa, to stimulate ethical trade practices. The company invests in building schools, sinking wells, providing mobile clinics, and fostering women's income generation projects.

Endangered Species

Endangered Species Chocolate stresses principles such as reverence for life and ethical trade. Their wrappers increase awareness of species that are currently threatened or endangered. Ten percent of all net profits are given to support species, habitat, and humanity.

Equal Exchange

Working with three different farmer cooperatives in the Dominican Republic, Equal Exchange organic chocolate products are both organic and fair trade. The company also produces teas, snacks, and coffee.

Green & Black's

Merging the "green" of organic chocolate production principles with the "black" of a decadent life, Green & Black's is both delicious and sustainable. They choose only organic and fairly traded chocolate ingredients.

Grenada Chocolate Company

For Granada Chocolate Company, it's not enough to purchase Certified Organic cocoa beans-they must grow the beans themselves. Working with organic farmers' cooperatives, they grow the beans and then use solar-powered machines to make the chocolate.

Ithaca Fine Chocolates

At Ithaca Fine Chocolates, the aim is to produce exquisite chocolate (using Swiss chocolatier methods) that's also Fair Trade Certified. They also only purchase USDA Certified Organic ingredients. Their wrappers, art cards, and display boxes are made from recycled paper as well.

Newman's Own Organics

A company founded by Paul Newman, Newman's Own Organics carries Signature Series Chocolate which is USDA Certified Organic and made from ingredients grown on Rainforest Alliance Certified farms.

Seeds of Change

Working to keep organic, open-pollinated seeds available for farmers and gardeners worldwide, Seeds of Change also produces some organic food and has recently developed a line of chocolate made from organically-grown cocoa, fruits, nuts, and spices from around the world.

Sweet Earth Organic Chocolates

Based in California, Sweet Earth Organic Chocolates are Certified Organic by the Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) organization.

Terra Nostra Organic

A Vancouver, Canada company, Terra Nostra Organic Chocolate is Certified Organic and known for its magnificent taste and luxuriant finish. The company is also a founding member of Equitable Trade which strives to encourage ethically traded and organic chocolate farming methods for their suppliers.

Vintage Plantations

With the Rainforest Alliance stamp of approval, Vintage Plantations chocolate is made from Ecuadorian cocoa so you know that it's both eco-friendly and ethically traded.

Knowing where to buy fair trade chocolate

Now that you know what fair trade chocolate brands and organic chocolate companies to look for, you may also need some help knowing where to buy organic and fair trade chocolates (some artisans and producers don't sell their wares online). To help you out, here are some tools to help you know where to buy eco-friendly and ethical chocolates:

Global Exchange carries a wide range of Fair Trade Certified products, including chocolate, coffee, tea, crafts, clothing, jewelry, and more.
TransFair USA maintains a list of national cafes, restaurants, and retailers carrying their Fair Trade Certified food products.
The Chocolate Room carries some fair trade and organic chocolate bars.
You can find Vintage Plantations fair trade chocolates at World Wide Chocolate online.

Choose Earth Friendly Chocolate for Gift Giving

Holidays throughout the year are popular occasions for buying chocolate as gifts. But this year, as you shop the isles or search online, keep earth friendly chocolate gifts in mind, especially when you come to the events here:

Valentine's

Treat your sweetheart to a box of chocolates that are Certified Organic or that have the Fair Trade Certification seal.

Christmas/Hanukkah

Stock up with Hanukkah Gelt that's Certified Organic and look for advent calendars and stocking stuffers for Christmas that are Fair Trade Certified.

Mother's Day

Surprise your Mom with a bouquet of chocolates that are healthier for her and that ensured women around the world were treated with dignity and respect. Fair Trade is the only way to go for this occasion.

Father's Day

If your Father has a sweet tooth, give him a real treat by purchasing organic chocolates that were produced using cocoa beans raised on farms that are pesticide and fertilizer-free. These will hit the spot without hurting the farmers.

Easter

Don't let the Easter bunny bring your children chocolates that were made using child slave labor! Choose Fair Trade Certified chocolates instead.

Halloween

Send trick-or-treaters home with sweets that won't create health problems for them later. Organic chocolates that are toxin-free are a great alternative to conventional treats.

Weddings

If it's your time to plan a spectacular day to celebrate your love, do so with favors that are ethical to add a green, socially-conscious flare to your day. Look for the fair trade and organic seals for your cake, too!

A Guide to Fair Trade, Organic Chocolate Companies

Lorna Li is a green online marketing professional specializing in the LOHAS Lifestyles of Health & Sustainability sector. She is the founder of Green Marketing TV a website featuring videos, news, tutorials, and information aimed at inspiring entrepreneurs to participate in the green economy. When not covering green news, she enjoys Organic, Fair Trade Chocolate [http://goodchocolatekarma.com] and raw cacao smoothies in her free time.

When it comes to eating various superfoods for a health benefit, you may be confused as to which superfoods to consume. Some super foods may have a potent taste that will need to be acquired by the person who is consuming that particular food. However, one superfood that everyone will agree on is the consumption of sacred raw chocolate and raw cacao. In fact, for thousands of years, ancient Mayans, ancient Aztecs and Incans have known about the amazing healing properties of the chocolate and they have used them in their daily cultural rituals as well as in their healing habits.

In fact, the seeds of raw cacao were held to be so sacred, the legends has it that the Incans used Cocoa beans as money and the ancient Incans used it like gold bullion as they filled their treasury holds with tons of cocoa beans. Unfortunately, nowadays the positive benefit of this wonderful superfood is not known widely. Although, everyone enjoys chocolate, people do not consume it in its raw form for the maximum benefit that they can derive from it. Some benefits of raw cacao and raw chocolate include:

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- It acts as a stimulant, so that the energy level in your body will receive a boost and you will feel better about yourself.

- It can also help to reduce chronic fatigue and general weakness caused by stress.

- Raw chocolate and raw cacao can help strengthen your cardiovascular system.

- This special superfood helps to regulate your sleep.

- Most importantly, pure chocolate directly stimulates various neurotransmitters in your brain (such as serotonin) to help reduce depression and to give a sense of euphoria or a sense of well being. Hence, your mood will be uplifted and you will feel better about yourself.

- Raw chocolate has a very high ORAC quotient. ORAC stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity. This is an important property, as it denotes the ability to absorb free radicals from your body. This can be a very useful concept for helping you to protect your body from carcinogens and free radicals that cause cancer.

- Raw chocolate is also considered as a mild aphrodisiac as it has shown to increase sexual appetite after regular consumption.

- Raw chocolate can also help stimulate your immune system.

Of course, it is important to eat in a raw and organic state, so that these benefits can be derived from it. If you are looking for an extra way to stimulate your immune system, then you can also eat Reiki mushrooms as a super food. This amazing mushroom also has the ability to strengthen your immune system so that you can fight infections and protect yourself from flu and other similar diseases.

Amazing Benefits of Raw Cacao, Raw Chocolate and Immune Stimulating Mushrooms

About this Author

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