Tag Archive: fair trade

Honest CocoaNova

March 15, 2011

I enjoy chocolate and tea. I don’t mean hot tea with a chocolate pastry (which I’m not opposed to) but today I mean chocolate covered tea flavored chocolates like dark chocolate Early Grey truffles or Chai milk chocolate bars.

But this new product by Honest Tea company is innovative and well, a bit strange sounding. Introducing Honest CocoaNova, a product line of brewed cocoa infusion beverages.

Trader Joe’s Swiss Milk Chocolate

February 14, 2011

It’s Monday and time for another review of a store brand chocolate bar. This time I chose Trader Joe’s Swiss Milk Chocolate.

Trader Joe’s started out as a small chain of convenience stores in the 1950s under the name of Pronto Markets. In 1967 they changed the name to Trader Joe's.

I like the line up of chocolates under the Trader Joe’s label. They are made in the European style but have a price tag of American value.

The Swiss Milk chocolate bar I bought was only $1.99 for 100g. The bar was smooth and creamy, with a balanced chocolatey baseline highlighted by caramel flavor notes. The lingering finish was a very pleasant soft buttery taste.
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Ending Child Labor on Cocoa Farms

September 17, 2010

It’s sad but true... Sometimes children are sold or tricked into forced labor on cocoa farms.

In 2001, stories about the lives of children forced to work on farms instead of going to school started to emerge from West African countries. Investigations into this problem drew the attention of Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa, and Rep. Eliot Engel of N.Y.

After much time and effort, Harkin and Engel announced on Sept. 13, 2010, the U.S. government and the chocolate industry pledged $17 million to help see an end to child labor.
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Does Fair Trade Chocolate Taste Good?

June 24, 2010

What is Fair-trade chocolate, and does it taste as good as non-fair trade chocolate?

The Fair Trade chocolate model is intended to ensure cacao farmers receive a fair price for their harvest. Fair trade seeks to create more trade links between farmer and buyer with the intent of eliminating the “middleman.”

It is about sustainability, responsible farming, and supplying a community of growers with better education, health care, and the elimination of child and slave labor. It all sounds like good stuff.