The Chocolate Fudge Cafe

Valentine’s Chocolate Alternative

Americans spend more than $600 million on chocolate for Valentine’s Day alone, but only a tiny fraction of this money reaches the farmers who grow cocoa. In fact, most chocolate in the United States is purchased from cocoa farmers at a market price that is far below a living wage. For example, in Côte d’Ivoire – the country where 75% of American chocolate comes from – cocoa farmers received only 11 cents per pound of dried beans in 2006.  More than 200,000 children of cocoa farmers have never attended school; many instead work as laborers on these farms. Cocoa-growing communities frequently face widespread poverty despite producing a commodity that yields annual sales of $13 billion. Given this picture, most Valentine’s Day chocolates are hardly sending a message of love. It’s with this in mind that two San Luis Obispo, California companies joined together to make SLO Chai Chocolate.  SLO Chai and Sweet Earth Organic Chocolates, offer a blend of Sweet Earth’s award-winning 65% bittersweet Fair Trade chocolate and SLO Chai’s incomparably warm and spicy chai mix that not only tastes delicious but is helping to support cocoa farmers in West Africa.  The ingredients in this deliciously sweet drink are Certified Organic, ensuring that no harmful pesticides were used in their production.  Fair trade chocolate paired with cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, star anise, and other Indian spices make a truly delicious combination.  By supporting 100% Fair Trade Certified you are helping to ensure that cacao farmers receive fair prices for their labor and participate in democratically-organized cooperatives that ban child labor, promote gender equality, and practice environmentally-sound farming and processing.   

          Stir the pot! 

Welcome to the first post of the The Chocolate Fudge Cafe.   This is an educational, informative and (hopefully) fun site about natural chocolate;  it’s origins and current events, it’s flavors and varieties, it’s uses and it’s fans.  When I thought of what I’d like to call this site, I had an image in my mind of a friendly, lively place.  A chocolate cafe, where people could learn about chocolate, share stories of their travels to chocolate-growing regions and add input to the combined efforts of those who are bringing awareness to the public about the chocolate industry.  We will stir the pot…the pot of fudge!   Instead of coffee, we will drink mugs of hot, dark cocoa with a bit of organic cream on top.  I know there are hundreds of chocolate “experts” and I do not profess to be one of them.   I may share their tales and wares as I continue on my own chocolate journey.  Join me, won’t you?  I am Choco Mama and I am one of the owners of Earth’s Sweet Pleasures.  Our company makes 100% organic dark chocolate fudge and part of our mission is to help educate people about the world of chocolate.   I enjoy writing, but I’m new to blogging.  I need a chocolate break!   I’m going to make myself some Organic Chai Cocoa from Sweet Earth Organic Chocolates.  I encourage you to purchase from chocolate companies that are organic and support the welfare of cacao farmers.  I will provide more links and information as I continue to expand my blog.  See you again soon at the cafe!