Roses are great, but we all know that Valentine’s Day is really about the chocolate– whether you’re in love or not.
And while there’s almost nothing better than a bite of smooth, indulgent chocolate, it’s hard to enjoy a Hershey’s chocolate bar when you know that there are an estimated 1.56 million child laborers on West African cocoa plantations. Major chocolate companies like Hershey’s, Mars and Nestle are complicit in the worst forms of child labor and exploitation.
But you can still enjoy chocolate this Valentine’s Day– here are three brands that ensure their cocoa is ethically sourced.
Tony’s Chocolonely
This chocolate brand is featured in the documentary The Chocolate Case. Tony’s Chocolonely advocates for a slave-free cocoa industry. Activism is central to their brand– from educational tools on their website to an annual impact report that showcases their efforts to produce slave-free chocolate.
Tony’s Chocolonely is committed to paying their workers a living wage. They do this by paying their farmers an additional premium on top of the Fair Trade premium. This results in higher prices for their chocolate, but it ensures that the market price of their chocolate bars will provide farmers with a living income.
Beyond Good
This chocolate company prides themselves on using some of the highest quality cocoa in the world, grown in Madagascar. Beyond Good focuses on supply chain transparency and paying their farmers a living wage. Check out their website to learn more about their process (and to see beautiful photos of Madagascar).
Plus, Beyond Good is currently expanding their operations to Uganda!
Theo Chocolate
Like Tony’s Chocolonely, Theo Chocolate pays their farmers above the fair trade minimum to ensure that they receive a living wage. This company focuses on people and the planet by sourcing their beans ethically and responsibly– for example, their ingredients are certified organic.
Child labor and slavery are a real problem in the chocolate industry. As consumers, we can’t ignore the unethical working conditions that are all too common on cocoa farms. Let’s start by buying slavery-free chocolate.
Learn more about exploitation in the chocolate industry.
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