Chocolate is a delicious treat, but it always creates an ethical dilemma for me. On the one hand, it’s the most amazing food ever, and left to my own devices I would eat nothing else.
Fairly traded brownies!
One the other hand, most major chocolate companies (Hershey’s, Mars, etc.) aren’t picky about ethics, which means a lot of chocolate is farmed by child slaves. You can learn more about this issue here and here and here.
(Yes, I know it’s 2017, and we as a society should be over slavery by now. But life is complicated, and it’s still around.)
This is sad, but don’t despair! Times change, people are changing things, and we can help. Delicious ethical chocolates (like the brownies pictures above) are plentiful if you know where to look. So, in the spirit of deliciousness and justice, this page will spotlight my favorite fairly traded chocolate brands!
Green & Black
I list Green & Black first because they’re my favorite brand. I am kind of obsessed with their Mayan Gold (dark chocolate with orange and spices!), and their dark chocolate and ginger bar is kind of hard to find but is the epitome of what candy bars should be! Of course they have normal flavors like milk chocolate, white chocolate, almonds, etc. Try them at least once–they are divine!
Divine
http://www.divinechocolate.com/us/
Speaking of divine … Divine Chocolate is “the only fairtrade chocolate company which is owned by its cocoa farmers.” They specialize in flavored chocolate bars, which come in just about every flavor you can imagine. (I’m partial to ginger & orange myself.) You can order individual flavors or variety packs and even fundraising packs with mini chocolate bars!
Equal Exchange
Equal Exchange is beyond amazing! This is basically your one-stop shop for fairly traded food. They’ve got chocolates, fruit, nuts, coffee, tea, marmalade, olive oil, etc. I’ve already waxed poetic about their spicy hot chocolate. Plus, if you visit their website, you can find yummy recipes that feature some of their products.
Daydreams and Chocolate 