Chocolate is a favourite sweet treat for many of us. However, not all chocolate is produced the same way. All too often we find ourselves eating chocolate that has been produced by child labour. There are a number of ways to indulge ethically sourced chocolate, and Chocolat Philippe, of course, is one of those. In this blog, I will give you a couple of reasons why I have put ethics and sustainability at the core of our business.
Chocolate is known to be one of the most famous indulgences in the world and is loved by millions. Most people don’t realise that for a bar of chocolate to be made, there is a whole process that is carried out by farmers and their families. Farmers grow the cocoa trees and the beans are harvested and processed to make the chocolate we all love. It is extremely important to note that the majority of the farms that grow cocoa are small scale family owned farms that are responsible for the livelihoods of thousands of people.
Ethical chocolate is important because it provides a fair wage for farmers who work in harsh conditions. It also helps to preserve the environment and gives better conditions for the whole ecosystem of the area. Ethical cacao is produced using environmentally friendly farming techniques and doesn’t use any chemicals or pesticides.
Around the world, cacao farmers are struggling to make a decent living. The indigenous people of the Amazon are struggling to protect their land and their livelihoods from oil companies, and even though governments are promising to help, things are looking quite bleak. The indigenous people of the Amazon have been working hard for years to gain legal rights to their land. They have also been working hard to grow sustainable crops and develop a chocolate industry, so that they can be proud of their work and proud of the future their children will inherit.
In the Ivory Coast and Ghana, for example, which are by far the world’s largest cocoa producers for commodity beans usually used in industrial chocolate, children are forced to work on cacao farms for up to 12 hours a day with no pay. The money earned from selling the cocoa beans ends up in the pockets of the local militia and the child slave owners, rather than in the hands of the impoverished farmers themselves, according to a 2020 report from the US Department of Labor.
Not everyone knows the importance of ethically and sustainably sourced beans. But at Chocolat Philippe, we do! We only buy beans that are ethically and sustainably sourced. This is because our business depends on it. Healthy beans make for happy people, and happy people makes for a happy business!
Ethically and sustainably sourced beans means a lot of things. It means we have to be mindful of the people who grow our beans, and that we treat them with the respect they deserve. It also means that we are providing a good price, as well as supporting the local economy. It means that the environment is being taken into consideration; we only buy from growers who are working to preserve the environment. It means that the beans we use are grown in an area that is free from pesticides and that are free from genetically modified organisms. It’s a lot of responsibility, but it’s important for us to make sure we are doing what is right for our business, our customers, and the world.
The best chocolate in the world should be used for more than just adding a little sweetness to your day. It should be a celebration of the work that has gone into growing the cocoa beans, and of course the craftsmanship that goes into creating the final product. Chocolate is more than just a sweet treat, it’s a symbol of a way of life.
By continuing to share this information, we can help make a difference in the world, one chocolate bar at a time!
Learn more about ethically sourced chocolate from our chocolate expert, Monsieur Philippe, who would love to speak with you about the different ways you can help the environment when you buy chocolate. Visit our contact page to get in touch.
