Making a Difference in Progress

So before taking my first ever trip to Whole Foods in search of Fair-Trade chocolate last week I decided to contact some of my more regular haunts to see if they carried any fair-trade stuff or if they had plans to.  I e-mailed CVS, Stop and Shop, Hannaford, Target, Wal-mart and Shaws.  This was about nine days ago and at this time I have only gotten three responses.  I have cut and pasted them below.

CVS:

Ms. Grady Harper,

Thank you for your email regarding your suggestion that we sell Fair Trade Chocolate. I am eager to respond. We do not sell this product at this time however, I would be more than happy to forward your request to our product team for future consideration.

We appreciate your feedback and we take our customer's comments very seriously. If you would like to discuss the matter further, please call us at 1-800-746-7287. We are available Monday through Friday 8:30 am - 7 pm ET.

Have a great day.

Dee
CVS Customer Relations

Target:

Dear Elizabeth Grady Harper,

We appreciate the time you've taken to let us know what you're looking for at Target. I'm sorry but we doesn't carry Fairtrade chocolate at Target.

Hearing your feedback is very important because it helps us learn more about the merchandise you want and need from Target. Although I can't promise we'll carry this item, I'll let our Buying team know you'd like to see it at your local store.

Thanks for letting us know how we can make your Target experience even better.

Sincerely,

Maqsood

Target Guest Relations

 

Hannaford:

April 15, 2013

Dear Ms. Grady-Harper:

Thank you for contacting Hannaford. We are pleased to have the opportunity to respond.

I am writing you in response to your inquiry regarding Fairtrade Chocolate. Our merchandising team has advised that in our Milford Hannaford in our Nature Place Energy Bar section you will find such options as LaraBar and others. Please look for the Fair Trade Certified Symbol. We hope you find this helpful.

Again, thank you for contacting Hannaford. If we can further assist you, Ms. Grady-Harper, please do not hesitate to let us know.

Sincerely,

Lacey Greene
Consumer Research Specialist

Ref 3239368/lacgre

I think Hannaford is referring to an Energy Bar but I haven’t checked it out.

So nothing from Wal-Mart, Shaws or Stop and Shop yet.

Here’s what I am thinking we should do.  E-mail, call or stop by customer service at places we would regularly buy chocolate and 1. Ask if they carry Fair-trade chocolate and 2. If they don’t let them know we’d like them to.

It could be something like this:

I was wondering if you carry any fair-trade chocolate.  If you don’t at this time do you have plans to do so?  I have recently become aware of the fact that most chocolate is made with cocoa farmed by child slaves in West Africa.  I have decided that I will no longer buy this chocolate from your store or anywhere.  I would hope that your company would be concerned about the issue of child slavery as well and begin to stock fair-trade chocolate in order to support those companies that have made a conscious choice to support cocoa plantations that do not use slave labor.

Or anyway you want to say it. I think it would make a difference if a number of people start to express a desire for Fair-trade in the stores they shop.  I can’t really see another way these mainstream stores will start carrying it other than hearing from customers who want them to.  It's a start anyway and this action step has a part B - ask your friends, family and co-workers to do the same.  I truly believe more people would be involved in causes like this trying to make a difference if they were only made aware of the problem and given a way to participate in affecting change.  I guess that's what I am trying to do here . . .so tell people about the problem, tell them about this blog, encourage them to seek out knowledge and to act whatever works . . .

So that’s our Action Step 3 – contact stores we shop and urge them to carry Fair-trade and spread the word.

And BTW my Mom wanted me to mention Ghiradelli as I failed to include them in my taste test last week.  Ghiradelli is not Fair-trade but the company has issued a statement saying their cocoa comes from farms in Central and South America where child slavery is not an issue.  So in that sense they are safe. As for taste if we want to evaluate Ghiradelli there’s just one word – DELICIOUS!  I have yet to meet a piece of Ghiradelli I didn’t absolutely love!

Processing in progress . . . some thoughts on the Boston Marathon

Boston Marathon bombings

This is not a word I wanted after Boston Marathon  . . .

For those of us who grew up on or near the marathon route Boston Marathon has meant many things and been followed by many words but never this

Boston Marathon jackets . . .

My church was at the starting line and as a youth group one of our best, and most fun, fundraisers was selling soda and snacks to the thousands who gathered to send the runners on their way.  For some reason we really admired the windbreakers all the marathon workers got every year.  They varied in color and style but each year we would spend part of our time plotting how to get one.  Looking back I really can’t say why.  They sort of looked like the kind of jacket an 80 year old man or a perp on SVU would pair with matching pants before stepping out on the town.  I think it was because you couldn’t buy them – they were bestowed.  Sometimes we’d ask workers setting up the barricades or directing traffic if they would give them to us after the race sometimes we’d troll the discarded clothes after the start hoping one got dumped.  I don’t think any of us ever ended up with one.

Boston Marathon runners . . .

These people are just a little crazy.  As a non-marathoner I think anyone who decides to run such a long distance when time and technology have made this unnecessary is crazy.  But Boston marathoners seem to have a special helping of lunacy.  It must be hard to train for this race if you live in New England because up until and sometimes on Marathon Day it’s still like 4 degrees.  Spring doesn’t tend to come to us until mid April.  So in addition to weather hampering training you also never know what you’re going to get on race day.  It could be 80 degrees or it could be zero.  The runners adopt the classic New England mantra – layers!

Boston Marathon Day . . .

Since the world really begins and ends here we tend to just call this Marathon Day.  The Sox play an early game, the Redcoats attack at Lexington and Concord and the kid’s school vacation week begins.  It holds the promise of spring, a sort unofficial start where we all cautiously begin to stow away our winter gear and perhaps, quietly, count on the weather to get warmer and not colder from now on.  It’s a special day. It’s our day.  A day filled with memories of how we spent it as kids, or when our kids were kids or last year when we did this or went there.  It’s a day you remember what happened and not because your world was shattered by hateful insanity but because it’s a day where we all are looking at something together, sharing something, watching something.  As much as is possible in hard-nosed, individualistic, eyes down New England we come together. 

Boston Marathon Coverage . . .

Starting ridiculously early you can tune in to any one of the three main local stations for all things marathon.  They report from the starting line, the finish and all places in between.  They have feel good stories on the runners, up to the minute weather conditions and tales of marathon’s past.  It seems a little strange to have live and continuous coverage at some point because it’s like oh look here’s a really skinny guy running down the street, oh and there’s a pack of three women running together, yup still running and we’ll cut away to commercial and then some talking and let’s get back to it – still running  . . . but somehow it’s fun and if you happen to be home that day you tune in or in your car you check with BZ to see what’s what.  We can all stay plugged in to it all day long.  It’s our race.

And whoever planted these bombs took that from us.  We can say they didn’t.  We can rail and rally urging ourselves and others not to let them take it.  Not to let them change us.  But the truth is we can’t change those horrible moments four hours in to the 2013 Boston Marathon.  The images of smoke, terror, fear, blood, confusion and pain will stay with us.

 But what the terrorists never understand, what these people never count on is what those images, those events do to us.  They make us afraid, they cause us grief and pain, but then they do something else.  They bring out the best in people.  The EMTs, doctors, nurses, police who ran in to help while people fled in terror.  The friends and family who carried one another out of harm’s way.  The stranger’s who helped each other contact loved ones.  Some stories we’ve heard.  More will come out in the days to come.  In the aftermath we see the solidarity of our nation – We are Boston.  The moment of silence before every sporting event to remember the victims, to remember the day.  The crying, hugging and cheering for our National Anthems at baseball fields, hockey rinks and basketball courts across the country.  The post in the Chicago Tribune, the display by the now not so hated Yankees, and on and on . . .

 It’s not trite, or false or contrived.  Tragedy, senseless, inexplicable, undeserved, really does bring us together.  It’s like this act of senseless inhumanity reminded us of the humanity we have in common.  All of our political, religious, geographic , cultural and other differences seem to fade in these moments.  We are Boston, We are America, We are Humanity.

My hope and prayer is that in the days to come we will remember not only to keep supporting the victims, but also to keep honoring the common humanity that such tragedies inevitably awaken in us.  We cannot stop the word bombings from coming to mind when we hear Boston Marathon anymore than we can fail to feel the weight of the numbers 911, but we can decide what we do from here and the terrorists do not get a say in that.

So I have really taken one for the team this week.  I went out and bought a lot of Fair-trade chocolate and taste tested it for all of you!  Because I am just nice like that I did share it with some other people in order to a) not gain 300 pounds and b)get some more taste buds involved for more opinions.  I will share our thoughts on which chocolates tasted best and which ones are best avoided.

I spent about $25 at Whole Foods on 8 different items. Most were large bars for $3.99 each.  Not really sure why but I ended up with an excessive amount of Dark chocolate.  I like dark, but I think next time I’ll be more balanced.  I shared them with a few friends and family members.  First some background on the brands.

Theo:  Seattle based.  Claim to be the first organic and fair-trade chocolate company in the US.  Their founding principle is that “the finest chocolate can and should be produced in an entirely ethical and sustainable fashion.”  They are third party verified for social and environmental responsibility.

Divine:  All fair-trade.  45% farmer owned.

Green and Black:  Organically grown and fair-trade certified.

365:  This is the Whole Foods brand.  They indicate that anything with the “Whole Trade” symbol meets their quality standards, provides more money to producers, ensures better wages for workers, high environmental standards and 1% of sales goes to their Whole Planet Foundation.

Equal Exchange Chocolates:  From their website -

In 1986, Equal Exchange was founded to challenge the existing trade model, which favors large plantations, agri-business, and multi-national corporations; support small farmers; and connect consumers and producers through information, education, and the exchange of products in the marketplace. With our founding, we joined a growing movement of small farmers, alternative traders (ATOs), religious organizations, and non-profits throughout the world with like-minded principles and objectives. Underlying our work is the belief that only through organization, can small farmers survive and thrive. The cooperative model has been essential for building this model of change

Here’s what we thought.  On a scale of 1-10.

Theo Organic Milk Chocolate Bar - 10+

This was probably the favorite of the few who got a sample.  Why only a few?  Because my husband thought tasting meant eating every last bit.  Seriously, after a friend and I got a small sample he ate the rest.  This was not a small bar.  He should know better than to come between a woman and her fairly traded chocolate, but he took the risk and endured the subsequent wrath which must also speak to the deliciousness of this one.

Theo Congo Vanilla Nib – 2

Me and almost everyone who had this did not approve.  It just tasted wrong, like they threw a bunch of ingredients together to see what would work.  I should mention though it did get a good review from one taster.  If you try it and don’t like it let’s blame him.

365 Everyday Value Dark 56% - 7

This one had a good initial taste, but a slight aftertaste that didn’t rock.  I tend to like the dark chocolate but even if you don’t this one wasn’t so dark that you couldn’t try it even if you usually prefer milk.

Panama Extra Dark 80% - 6

My older daughter declared this one to be “ok”.  My younger however said it “tastes like the fish kind” but she refused to give it back and ate it all so . . .

It was a little too dark for me but I imagine if dark chocolate is your favorite thing this one could be for you.

Divine Dark 70% - 8

This one got rave reviews including two thumbs up from my seven year old niece.

365 Dark 56% - 7

We got mostly positive feedback on this one except from my Mom who simply said – no.  My three year old daughter said “it’s good.  I love it.  It tastes good actually.”  This review would be better if you could hear the way she says actually – it’s fabulous.

Green and Black’s Dark 70% - 8

One of my daughters loved this while the other gave it the mediocre status “kind of good”.  I wasn’t its biggest fan either, there was a tangy taste I didn’t like.  However the other grown-ups who had it all gave positive feedback.

Green and Black’s Toffee Milk – 6

Not awesome.  Okay taste but really not worth the calories in my opinion.

When we started I talked about wanting to learn more so I could do something, make a difference.  As a result I am working through actions steps  . . .

So our action step for this week is to buy some Fair-trade chocolate.  You can do this at Whole Foods like I did or online at Amazon or you can go directly to the websites of any of the brands above.  In case you missed it our first action step was to stop buying chocolate produced using slave labor.  The first step is important as it stops us from supporting the institution of slavery the second step is us endorsing companies that have chosen to hold themselves to higher standards.  Stay tuned for our next action step!

 

 

 

Understanding in progress

For today’s post I am almost taking a step backward.  I want to talk about some of the actual people and conditions on the cocoa plantations.  Sometimes I have a hard time imagining it. 

So I wanted to know what does slavery look like in our world?  I wanted faces, names, stories and specifics.  What I found wasn’t lives filled with savage beatings, chain gangs and whip wielding overseers.  The slavery I read about is more subtle but just as cruel and hopeless.  I found stories of children whose childhood was stolen along with their freedom, who live on the edge of subsistence with little hope and no one to look out for them. 

SPECIFICS:

Most reports estimate that about twelve thousand of the two hundred thousand child laborers on the cocoa plantations and farms of the Ivory Coast may be victims of trafficking and slavery. 

In sub-Saharan Africa thirty percent of children under fifteen are child laborers, mostly in agricultural industry including cocoa harvesting.  Just a note about what we mean by child labor (found this definition and think it explains it well)

Child Labor:  work that is mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous and harmful to children.  Interferes with their schooling by depriving them of the opportunity to attend school, by obliging them to leave school prematurely or by requiring them to attempt to combine school attendance with excessively long and heavy work.

Not all work that kids do is child labor – work done that is not detrimental to children’s health, development or schooling is not labeled as “child labor”

For the most part kids working with cocoa are either slaves or child laborers.

Here’s the process they go through:

Cocoa trees are treated with pesticides and fungicides.  The harvesting happens year round so the chemical treatments do as well.

The clearing of vegetation and harvesting of the pods from trees is done with machetes.  So kids as young as seven wield these weapons against grass and brush and their little limbs often bear the scars of their missteps.

They then transport wet beans to the place where they will be dried.  This can be a long distance and usual involves heavy loads to maximize the return

Young kids are forced to carry up to thirteen pounds of cocoa sacks on their shoulders

They then spread the beans in baskets or on mats and cover to ferment then uncover and dry in sun

                Finally the dried beans are loaded into bags and placed on trucks for transport

About the kids:

64% younger than 14

40% are girls

Usually work twelve hour work days

Beatings are common for failing to complete assigned work, being unable to carry a certain load or trying to leave

In the Ivory Coast 34% of kids on farms go to school compared to 64% of non workers.

NAMES AND STORIES:

Aly Diabete was 11 when a slave trader promised him a bike and $150 a year to help support his poor family in Mali.  After being taken to the Ivory Coast and sold to a farmer the only reward he has seen is a rare day off or any day when the overseers or older slaves don’t flog him with a bicycle chain or cacao tree branch.  He serves with 18 other boys on a 494 acre farm.  They work sunrise to 6:30 everyday.  Their dinner is usually burned bananas except when they are treated to yams with salt water “gravy”.  After dinner the boys are ordered in to a 24x20 room to sleep on wooden planks without mattresses.  The room has a baseball sized hole in it to let air in.  They are given cans to urinate in.  The boys were told they had been sold to the farmers and had to work off that debt.  They are beaten for not moving fast enough, not being able to carry a heavy enough load or trying to escape.

Brahima Male (12) and Siaka Traure (14) are also from Mali. At a bus station they met a man who promised them training and work as carpenters or welders.  Work they were told would pay $170 a year.  The man promised to take them to their work site for free.  When they neared the border the boys were told that if the police stopped them they were to say the man was their older brother.  They slipped over the border after separating in to motorcycle taxis, small vehicles that are generally not stopped by border patrol.  A man bought them  for $28.    Tarure tried to leave once.  For this he was tied up, beaten and threatened with a gun.

Abdul is ten years old and had been enslaved for three years when he told his story to a western journalist.  After his mother died a stranger brought him over the border from Mali.  He is given little food.  He and his fellow workers toil long hours with little hope for something better, something different.

Yacou ‘s scars from the machete he uses to clear vegetation criss-cross his legs.  His dream?  “I wish I could go to school. I want to read and write.”

Some of these stories are from years ago and I wonder where the children are now.  Unfortunately their circumstances are not unique or rare and as conditions have remained unchanged for so long they provide us with a look at what children have suffered through in the pursuit of chocolate over the past decades.

Children like these are being stolen, tricked or coerced onto cocoa plantations all over West Africa by a vast international network of human traffickers.  The kidnappers troll bus stations searching for kids traveling alone and offer them “jobs”.  They prey on the most vulnerable and seem to operate with little fear of legal consequences.

The toil and suffering of these children bring us cheap chocolate for our candy, our cakes and our drinks.  The cocoa they produce is sent away to be processed and combined with that produced by more humane means and by the time it reaches the companies who produce our chocolate it may hardly seem tainted by Yacou’s scars or Abdul’s stolen childhood.  But it is . . .

Next I’ll be bringing the results of my taste testing.  I’m going to sample whatever Fair-trade chocolate I can get my hands around here and let you know my thoughts . . . I know I’m so giving, I just really believe in empirical research!