The Chocolate Fudge Cafe

Happy New Year to loyal fans of the Chocolate Fudge Cafe!

(This is an iStockphoto.  Isn’t she adorable?)

         Let me take this opportunity to say “thanks” to all my readers.  I’ve maintained this blog for about two years now and it is a gratifying experience (well…mostly).  The best part of writing a blog is that one gets to (hopefully) reach others who might be inspired by something you write.  The worst part about it is the “SPAM”.  I just wish Wordpress could filter out the hundreds of ridiculous e-mails I get throughout a week; most of them relating to Viagra, Poker, Jokes or Porn.  (Hey, sounds like a great name for a band…or maybe these guys should all get together, take viagra for their porn while they play poker and tell jokes!)

         I hope to continue the blog with more interesting articles forthcoming on the history of chocolate, fair trade information, books and recipes.  Please write to me if there is anything you would like to see regarding chocolate, organics, or fair trade issues.  I love reporting on these things.

        As far as an update on Earth’s Sweet Pleasures, our organic fudge company, we continue to grow, albeit slowly…but that’s mostly because it’s just me and the my hubby, the Fudgemeister “Hawk”.  We have a new webmaster and host for our website www.earthssweetpleasures.com.  His name is Jason and we are very happy with him.  If you would like to contact him, send me an e-mail.  His company is small, but I’m sure he would like to grow.  Our Rich Rainforest Gourmet Fudge Bar is now in 30 locations nationwide.  Sounds small, but that’s a lot of fudge folks! 

       On that note, I would like to thank some customers who supported us (and fair trade) by ordering lots of fudge for the holidays: It’s Only Natural Gifts (all natural gift baskets), Benziger Winery (a biodynamic winery in Sonoma, CA), Kate’s Caring Gifts (fair trade & organic gift baskets), Artisan Sweets (all natural candy store online), Lifesource Foods in Salem, OR, the Briar Patch Co-op, Natural Valley Foods and Mother Trucker’s in Nevada City, CA (our home town), Whole Foods Market in Roseville, CA and Santa Rosa Community Market.  There are many more, but I can’t list them all here.  Visit our website for a complete list of all of our stores, both physical and online. 

       Our plans for 2010 are to continue to grow and expand the business.  We would like to forge a relationship with a distributor who cares about organics and fair trade and also purchase the necessary equipment to go AUTOMATED!  (Yes…I am ready to stop wrapping hundreds of fudge bars by hand!)  We will continue to cut and wrap by hand until we can find the financing to go automated.  Any leads in that department, by the way, are always appreciated!

       Finally, I would like to say that I absolutely LOVE the authentic comments, so keep them coming.  For those of you out there who just want to mess around with us “poor ole bloggers”, PLEASE STOP…and smell the roses for a change!

        Blessings to all for a prosperous and chocolately-filled New Year!

 Choco Mama 

Cacao beans and pod

Not wanting to be remiss in updating my blog, I’ve decided that I would let everyone know what’s been going on in my world.  As boring as that may seem for some, it’s been quite a ride for me!

We came back from the Natural Product Expo in Vegas with a new purpose, and that is to take Earth’s Sweet Pleasures to the next level!   Our company is about to explode, and in order to do that, we need funding!  As with every other part of this process called “owning your own business”, we have embarked on a new learning curve:  how to find funding sources!  We have talked to banks, government organizations, business owners, angel investors, and have spent a lot of time online looking at funding sites.  As with all parts of this roller coaster ride, this has been a lot of fun too.  If you know of anyone or any group who would like to invest in a sustainable company that is growing rapidly, let me know.

Meanwhile, our fudge is going Hollywood.  It will be featured in a celebrity room at the Emmy Awards.  It’s also going high-fashion at a New York fashion exhibit and high-end at a Marin County, California Wine Auction.  In addition, our fudge is being reviewed by magazine editors and will appear in at least 3 articles very soon.  I will keep you “posted” on all this, which is happening in September and October. 

Be sure to continue to visit the Chocolate Fudge Cafe, as I will be adding more recipes and some more info on the chocolate slavery trade, which we all need to fight against by purchasing only fair-trade chocolate products.  Remember, put your money where your heart is!  Make sure to research where your chocolate is coming from.

btw…did you know that raw cacao, by it’s very nature, is ORGANIC?  This is because the cacao tree cannot produce fruit if there are any chemicals or pesticides used on it.  It’s only after some food producers get their hands on the raw cocoa that it can be transformed into something other than naturally organic.  Make sure to look for the Fair Trade logo and the USDA organic label when you purchase your chocolate.  You can read more about what this on my blog.

There is much more exciting news on the horizon my friends.  To be continued….

Choco Mama