I was going to try to include in this post a summary of the recent history of efforts to clean up the cocoa industry, but that will have to wait till later—it’s too complex.
Also, I just had a baby! Which means my pace of posts is going to slow down for a while.
But in the meantime, get your ethically made chocolate at Divine Chocolate and Sweet Earth Chocolates.
Addendum: Following are more sources of ethical chocolate (thanks, Co-op America!).
Fair Trade Certified chocolate can be found at health food stores and specialty markets across the country. To find a fair trade retailer near you, visit the TransfairUSA website. If you can't find the brand you want locally, an excellent one-stop online source is the Global Exchange Store.
The following companies all sell fair trade chocolate products. Most (though not all) are also organic:
Dagoba Organic Chocolate - Chocolate bars, baking chips, chocolate syrup, hot chocolate, and baking cocoa (non-alkali).
Dean's Beans - Organic hot cocoa and baking cocoa, also kosher.
Equal Exchange - Organic hot cocoa, baking cocoa (with alkali) and fair trade, gourmet chocolate bars.
Ithaca Fine Chocolates - Organic chocolate "Art Bars."
La Siembra Co-Operative - A Canadian worker-owned co-op. Dark chocolate bars are available in the USA.
Sjaak's Organic Chocolates - All organic and fair trade chocolate bars, gift boxes, holiday items, vegan selections
Theo Chocolate - Organic, fair trade premium chocolate.
Yachana Gourmet - Chocolate, tropical fruit spreads and other food products made from organically grown raw materials from the Amazon rainforest region in Ecuador.
