No need to sacrifice pleasure while striving to do good. Innovator Sophi Tranchell, CEO Divine Chocolate
FOOD FOR THOUGHT & CONVERSATION
- To the Mayas, cocoa pods symbolized life and fertility and the Aztecs believed that that it had nourishing, fortifying, and even aphrodisiac qualities. When did your love affair with chocolate begin?
- What makes Divine Chocolate a unique and one of a kind Chocolate Company? Does the answer to that question help to spur you towards being a wise consumer and choosing Divine Chocolate? Nah, that’s not a loaded question, it’s only your imagination.
- For educational purposes only—no over indulging allowed—host a blind chocolate tasting paired with your favorite red wine or champagne. Compare the texture, taste and complexities of Divine Chocolate With other Fair Trade chocolates.
- Shop for your favorite kind of chocolate at www.divine.org or find it in Whole Foods, Cost Plus World Markets, Harris Teeter, www.serv.org .
ACTIONS
- Americans spend $14 billion a year on chocolate, that’s a lot of buying power. Did you know that over 40 percent of the world’s cocoa, the primary ingredient in chocolate, comes from West African nation of the Ivory Coast. The State Department estimates that over one hundred thousand children in the Ivory Coast’s cocoa industry work under “the worst forms of child labor. Some ten thousand children are victims of human trafficking or enslavement. These child workers labor for long, punishing hours, using dangerous tools and facing frequent exposure to dangerous pesticides as they travel great distances in the grueling heat. Those who labor as slaves must also suffer frequent beatings and other cruel treatment. To learn more about the abuses in the chocolate industry and what companies are guilty, visit Dark Side of Chocolate
- While other high-end chocolate companies use third-party certification to ensure that their products aren’t tainted with child slave labor and the exploitation of cocoa-producing communities, Godiva does not. Educate yourself about Green America’s Fair Trade Chocolate Campaign.
- After a sustained effort for over 7 years by Fair Trade activists, Hershey’s agree to go Fair Trade but not completely until 2020 so you may want to buycott until then and be sure to let Hershey’s know so they know the money they are losing by not implementing sooner. Contact Hershey’s and let them know you are buycotting their chocolate until they are in full compliance with no child labor on their cocoa farms.
- Invite friends, colleagues or community members to view this video with you and host a conversation.
ABOUT SOPHI
Sophi Tranchell is Global Managing Director at Divine Chocolate, Fairtrade pioneer, Social Enterprise Ambassador, Chair of Fairtrade London, & London Food Board member.