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If this crisis has affected you and prompted you to ask questions then take the time to research the products you buy and make the responsible choice. To assist in making an informed decision from among the myriad choices available to you it may help to have an understanding of the relationship of the different cocoa types and the social context in which they are grown. Superior grade cocoa known as flavor beans are traded at a substantial price differential over ordinary bulk cocoa. These finest grade cocoa beans - Criollo and Trinitario - are usually grown in specific geographical areas. Criollo and Trinitario cocoa production is less than 10 percent of the world's supply. The remaining beans - Forastero - from West Africa are considered, with a few notable exceptions - Ghana, of secondary quality and generally are not used in quality chocolates, but more likely in larger commercial brand chocolates and chocolate flavored products. The quality found in Ghana cacao is principally derived from their awareness and tradition of proper fermentation of cocoa beans, which is probably the single greatest factor leading to quality when processing the beans. Higher quality cocoa is known to come from Madagascar, Hawaii, Central and South America and the Caribbean, including, Venezuela, Belize, Peru, Columbia, Ecuador, Mexico, Trinidad, Tobago, Dominican Republic, Cuba and Granada. Some companies believe in paying farmers and co-ops significantly more for their product than can be obtained on the open market or even that set by the fair trade organizations. Unfortunately, it costs significant amounts of money for the farmers to become fair-trade certified in addition to it being an involved process. Many farmers simply cannot afford it. The Fair Trade licensing organizations do not allow companies to advertise the use of Fair Trade cacao unless the entire finished product is made from certified Fair Trade cacao. Since some companies blend cacao from a number of different origins to make chocolate they are unable to use the Fairtrade label. Single-source or single-origin chocolate is chocolate made from cocoa beans grown exclusively from a single country or region of origin which aids in determining the practices under which it was harvested. In this instance it is more likely that that cocoa is purchased from farms that are small, family-run enterprises of just a few acres each where there is no need for a large supply of cheap labor. The need for cheap labor arises only in countries where cocoa is grown on large cocoa plantations of several hundred acres each. Where the chocolate itself is also manufactured entirely in the country of origin; this assures that added value is obtained from the processing of the beans into chocolate. Most of the world's chocolate bars are manufactured in countries that do not actually grow cocoa. Though approximately eighty percent of the cacao grown worldwide is de facto organic, organic farming practices in essence, and whether by intent, certification or otherwise, provide farmers with a sustainable development method which in most cases not only translates to sustainable farming methods but the responsible social aspects and benefit to the environment. Organic cocoa farmers get paid a premium for growing organic ingredients which should also translate to a better standard of living and as certified organic farms are regularly inspected there is less likelihood of forced labor practices. This not only ensures the highest quality beans available but also ensures that the farmers can provide for their families and are encouraged to produce a high quality product and improve their farms. It is often considered as a rule of thumb that the cocoa purchased by the more expensive chocolate manufacturers tends to be free market cocoa. While that may be considered based on the assumption that principally flavor beans were used, there are exceptions to this generality and a risk that a proportion of the cocoa might have come from plantations which grow and harvest cocoa using slaves or forced labor. Conversely, there is a risk that the cheaper chocolates which are often 'no label' brands have been manufactured using bulk commodity cocoa purchased on the spot market, a proportion of which may be slave cocoa. While a chocolate company's policy should state in some fashion that they will not buy chocolate or ingredients from firms that use or reinforce the use of exploited labor of any sort, be aware that some companies that make this statement do little to determine the source of their cocoa. It is up to each of us as a consumer to make an informed and thoughtful though somewhat subjective decision. Following is a list of chocolate companies who state that they use cocoa, that has not been produced with slave labor: Chocolate Companies It is also entirely appropriate to question where chocolate comes from in your business and personal relationships. What type of chocolate is used in your church or school fundraiser? What about at the resort hotel your company contracts with for their corporate conventions, the chocolate retailer at the boutique mall, the bakery on Main Street, your favorite restaurant, at the culinary school, the pastry school, the grocery store, that box of chocolates for Valentine Day, the bowl of office chocolate at your doctor's, the Easter egg hunts, Mothers Day, Halloween, Christmas and...................
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