ESC: Delicious With A Mission
It took me a while to sample my way through the chocolate section in the local grocery store, but I finally found what I was craving: Endangered Species Chocolate (ESC). It’s smooth and rich, and has the perfect balance of bitter cocoa flavor and sweetness. Oh, and I wouldn’t have given it any attention it if it wasn’t certified organic. Not all varieties are, but there are enough to find a favorite and try a new one from time to time - organic dark chocolate with goji berries, pecans, and maca, for example.
Until summer 2006, all of ESC’s cocoa had also been fair trade certified by TransFair. Since then, ESC pledged to follow the same standards, but give the money previously spent on certification directly to the farmers of the Conocado Co-op in the Dominican Republic, who harvest the organic cocoa. The main mission of ESC though is - quite obviously - to raise awareness and support for the thousands of animals that are critically close to extinction. Some of the more photogenic ones are featured on the recycled paper wrappers, and 10% (!) of the company’s net profits are given to organizations like Chimp Haven and the Ocean Conservancy who protect species and their habitat.
The only aspect that leaves a bad aftertaste is that the ESC’s core value “reverence for life” is modeled and named after Albert Schweitzer’s philosophy. Although I understand what ESC is getting at, colonialist statements like “the African is indeed my brother, but my junior brother” make Schweitzer an unfortunate choice for a company that practices and promotes global fair trade.
Still, their actions and their attitude seem genuine and thorough - so if you’ve been looking for delicious chocolate, made by a company that shows respect for nature and for the communities it works with, you should keep your eyes open for some lions, bats, and monkeys on the shelves.
admin @ January 24, 2008