tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36755666.post6559281449793398034..comments2008-06-05T07:44:44.824-04:00Jackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06491647767822938866noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36755666.post-3968139051501435762008-06-05T07:44:00.000-04:002008-06-05T07:44:00.000-04:00Dan,<BR/><BR/>Thanks so much for telling the story of Peruvian Chocolate (which I will make a point of checking out at the River Road WF) and articulating so well the potential of models beyond Fair Trade. I agree that Fair Trade can be taken a step further...several steps actually. Your model of in-country production, the farmer ownership model of Divine chocolate and Oke bananas, and even some versions of "direct trade" are what we need in order to create companies and use our consumer dollars in a way that addresses injustice in the supply chain and the economic system.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for posting!Jackiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06491647767822938866noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36755666.post-76383120651531456142008-06-04T13:13:00.000-04:002008-06-04T13:13:00.000-04:00www.peruvianchocolate.comDanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03634191163788862165noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36755666.post-79086199874571109402008-06-04T13:12:00.000-04:002008-06-04T13:12:00.000-04:00Supporting Fair Trade is important but the concept can be taken a step further. At Peruvian Chocolate, we import chocolates from Peru. They are made in the same region as the farmers who farm cacao. Large chocolate companies are more interested in getting people talking about the health benefits of chocolate instead of the dark side to chocolate present in Africa. <BR/><BR/>Our brand, La Orquidea, is sold at Whole Foods on River Road in Bethesda, MD. We are trying to take the next step in Fair Trade. Firstly, the factory was built in Tarapoto Peru in 1998 when the international market was not paying a fair price for cacao (most companies still do not pay a fair price). The factory pays a fair price for the cacao to the farmers and has training sessions for farmers to improve their growing practices. <BR/><BR/>By making the chocolates in Peru, fair paying jobs are provided in a region of Peru that needs sustainable alternatives to coca farming. <BR/><BR/>Fair trade is a good start, but does it really enable those in developing countries to move beyond a farming economy?<BR/><BR/>Most "Fair Trade" chocolate is manufactured in Europe. Your posting has the first roaster in the US, which is nice. Nice does not enable communities to develop, though, and this is what we want to change. <BR/><BR/>La Orquidea chocolates use local ingredients from Peru. There is a Milk Chocolate and Quinoa variety, one with Kiwicha, another with Brazil nuts and another with pecans. Making the chocolates where the raw materials are reduces the impact on the environment as well. We are a small company that is trying to do what is right not what is easy. <BR/><BR/>Peru has a history of exporting raw materials, not finished products, and this has caused the economy to stagnate somewhat. Exports increase and the economy is said to be growing, however the people of Peru do not feel the growth in their pocket books and wallets. Jobs outside of Lima are hard to find outside of agriculture so Peruvians flock to Lima where they have a poorer standard of living, since so many come in search of work but there are not enough positions. Keeping jobs in the provincial parts of Peru allows for a decentralization from Lima, preserving the special cultures and customs of provincial Peru. <BR/><BR/>Cacao originated in the Amazon region, which covers much of eastern Peru, and was brought north to Mexico. There is no local chocolate on the market, the cacao at least has to come from the tropical region of the world. We are as local as you can get with chocolate.Danwww.peruvianchocolate.comnoreply@blogger.com