The Chocolate Fudge Cafe

These days – thanks to the combination of concerns about the environmental issues of transporting foodstuffs around the globe, coupled with the harsh economic climate, there is a tendency for people to choose growing and eating their own locally grown produce. Does this also apply, you may ask, to the cacao plant?

Of course, chocolate lovers would  probably delight in having a plant which provides produce which can be made into cocoa and chocolate products. In terms of the natural habitat for the cacao tree, it grows in a tropical climate such as South America or Central America  and also in Africa and Asia. As a rule, this evergreen plant prefers temperatures around 68 degrees Fahrenheit. However, if you fancy growing your own cacao plant in a more arid country, why not try growing one in your greenhouse?

The cacao plant is not especially hardy so it is worth taking the time to learn how to take care of the plant. Here are a few tips as to how to get going.

The easiest way to get started is to buy a baby cacao plant from a nursery. If you are really hard core and want to do everything yourself, you could take a stem cutting (the cutting should have a few leaves on it and one or two buds) and, once you`ve dipped it in rooting hormone, pot it into a well-drained pot, keep the soil moist and covered with a plastic bag. Keep the plant warm and in a shaded space. The plant can take more light, the bigger it grows.

When you have your baby cacao plant, by whatever means, it needs to be planted in a shaded place. It has been said that, because cacao plants need shade, they can be planted in rainforests which has the environmental advantage of protecting these important habitats. For home use, make sure the hole for your plant is three times the diameter of the root ball and three times the height.

Expert gardening sites recommend that the plant is watered immediately with a slow soaking and that mulch is spread 3 – 6 inches thick  around the tree (about half a foot away from the trunk). The plant should then be watered according to the soil type but remember the cacao grows naturally in tropical climes.

There is a debate as to whether to use fertilizers and chemicals on the plant. Some say yes, some say no. If you choose to apply fertilizer, follow the direction on the pack. The tree should be pruned once it reaches a couple of feet in height. It has been recommended to allow four branches to develop and to prune away others.

In due course, you should begin to see the produce of the tree! Of course, for life’s other little treats, it may be easier to pop to the shop to buy your goodies.  And for coffee lovers, rather than going to the trouble of buying a coffee plant, it may be better to buy your coffee beans online: http://www.caffesociety.co.uk/coffee-ingredients-sundries/coffee/fresh-coffee-beans.

It has been said that the beginnings of chocolate production,which is now a food product that delights and teases the taste buds of adults and children alike the world over, originated in Mesoamerica. It is said to date back to 1900 BC and was used in Maya and Aztec ceremonies and events. In fact, sometimes during the Aztec civilization, cacao beans were paid as a sort of tax by those who were conquered. Once the beans travelled to Europe, however, the form of the food product changed. Chocolate had additional ingredients added – refined sugar and also milk. In the 1800s, the Cadbury chocolate producers found a way to emulsify the process of making chocolate to turn it into a solid form, which then became the product that we would recognise today – the chocolate bar. With the advent of the Industrial Revolution, things changed further to refine the making of chocolate goodies including the squeezing out of cocoa butter to create hard chocolate. And of course, once the processes relating to chocolate production were mechanised, the levels of output increased considerably and chocolate was made available to a much wider consumer base. These days, West Africa produces most of the cocoa used in the globe, especially Cote d`Ivoire. Published statistics suggest that this continent is responsible for the production of nearly two thirds of cocoa.

These days, chocolate consumption is – as you no doubt are aware – very popular. However, although it is a much loved food stuff, not many of us realize the conditions within which it is produced. There have been arguments that those who produce cocoa (and coffee for that matter too) can be exploited and live in poverty. Some commentators have described these labourers as modern day slaves. Sadly, many children are included in this definition. Reports by some journalists in 2000 said that children, aged between 12 and 16 years old, were enslaved and sold to plantation owners. The work is hard and the hours are long – in addition, the cocoa bean farming process uses dangerous machinery and equipment such as machetes and pesticide. In response to awareness of this problem, consumers have an option to opt out of supporting these practices. The Fair Trade organization will certify chocolate (or coffee and other products) with its seal of approval when the products comply with their standards. For instance, these criteria relate to the wages paid to labourers, their working conditions and health and safety procedures and the use of environmentally sustainable methods. If you make the Fair Trade choice, this means that when you bite on a certified Fair Trade bar of chocolate or put Fair Trade coffee in bean to cup coffee machines you can enjoy the product even more.

A message from Tom Newhaus, President of Project Hope and Fairness, founded to deliver tools to cocoa farmers that will make their occupation more sustainable.

I have been visiting Broguhe every year since 2004 and I have promised the villagers since 2006 that we would put a good roof on the room, provide electricity from a neighboring pole, and add a few electric sewing machines. The women of Broguhe love to sew and reap good money selling their products at a neighboring market. The solution to poverty in Africa and everywhere else in the developing world is cottage industry.

I’m raising money to electrify a sewing room in Broguhe, Cote d’Ivoire.  This is a village that I visit every summer.  One way to enhance sustainability of the cocoa farmer is to aid in diversification such as building cottage industry.

See www.sweetearthchocolates.blogspot.com (pull down to Pictures of African Cocoa Farmers, then to Broguhe).  I need to reach $2500 in order to electrify, put on a metal roof, and purchase two electric sewing machines.  See www.projecthopeandfairness.org  (Donate Box–first item) for a picture of the gift card you can buy to help us with the sewing room.

Fair Trade coffee is a very important topic; this type of coffee production ensures fair working conditions for those who supply the product. The concept of supporting coffee producers who are poor with trading has been present for many years. However the labeling of fair trade products really started to take off in the year 1988. The idea was a solution to the fall of coffee prices all around the world, which of course was a threat to a huge number of poor farmers’ livelihoods. The idea, which began in the Netherlands, soon gained popularity and spread to many other countries. Other produce also began to be labelled as Fair Trade, such as tea, bananas and chocolate.

What is fair trade coffee? Well, any product which has been traded in an ethical manner could be considered “Fair Trade”. But for products to have the official Fair-Trade label, they must adhere to a set of strict criteria. For a packet or jar of coffee to have a Fair-trade label, it needs to meet certain standards; these standards were created so as to make sure that trade and production of coffee and other goods are socially responsible. Criteria like this helps to assist marginalized and disadvantaged famers who work on a smaller scale, as well as those who work on plantations. The criteria for Fair-Trade is related to three different areas of development which is sustainable. These areas include economic development, social development and environmental development. The standards must be met by both the producers of coffee as well as their organizations and the traders.

The main aims of these standards are to make sure that there is a fair minimum price for the coffee which is agreed upon by the producers. The minimum price which is paid by the buyers covers sustainable production costs. The standards also provide a premium as an additional cost; this money is then spent on projects which benefit the economy, society and environment of the producers. These projects are decided upon in a democratic manner by a farmer organizations as well as those who work on the plantations. The Fair Trade standards also help to give financial aid to producers who need it and encourage partnership between the traders. Fair Trade guidelines also help to create healthy relationships between producers and traders so that sustainable production and long term plans can be made as well as setting up progressive rules to make sure that coffee which is produced and traded is economically, socially and environmentally fair.

So the next time you’re in a cafe or a supermarket, deciding which coffee to buy, make sure you choose fair trade coffee; then you’ll know you have done your bit today to make the world a better place.

This article contributed by Caffe Society.  Here’s their link:

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