Do you love chocolate? We certainly do.
When it comes to treating yourself to a decadent treat, nothing satisfies like chocolate. You can’t help but crave it, love it, and savor every mouthwatering moment it brings to the senses. But there is more to the tale of chocolate than what you’ll read on a candy wrapper or experience with your taste buds.
Here you’ll learn where our chocolate comes from, who makes it possible, and the steps we take to ensure only ethical practices create this exquisite ingredient.
“Food of the gods”
While the word chocolate may bring to mind sweet truffles or candy bars, the chocolate of the past was actually a very cherished – but very bitter – beverage. According to written history, the Mayans made thick and frothy chocolate drinks for celebrations and as a way to finalize important transactions.
Although chocolate was revered in their culture, it was available to almost everyone, no matter their status. Unlike the Aztecs, who believed cacao was a gift from their gods. In fact, the scientific name for the cacao tree, Theobroma cacao actually means “food of the gods.” Aztecs certainly enjoyed their chocolate drinks, but they also used cacao beans as currency to buy goods. To them, these beans were worth more than gold.
Why does eating chocolate feel so good?
Have you ever let a piece of chocolate slowly dissolve in your mouth and felt your heart flutter as if you just received a passionate kiss? This sensation occurs because chocolate contains very small amounts of chemical compounds called tyramine and phenylethylamine, which stimulate your brain cells to release dopamine. No wonder we love chocolate so much!
But it’s not all about the “feel good” factor. When choosing our chocolate, we’re not just looking for a great taste – we’re also looking for products you can feel good supporting. We believe we have a responsibility to our environment, our economy, and the dedicated farmers whose livelihood depends on us.
From cacao tree to delectable treat
It’s hard to believe the core element of our chocolate truffle cheesecake and chocolate cookie crust actually began as a tropical tree. Cacao trees are native to Central and South America, but the growing area has expanded to West Africa, Southeast Asia, and pretty much any oceanic country located near the equator. These babies love that heat!
Cacao trees produce large pods that grow straight out of the trunk and can be nearly the size of a football. Within these pods lie 30-50 precious cocoa beans which are then left to naturally ferment and dry in the sun, completing the transformation from cacao bean to cocoa bean. Cocoa beans are then shipped to producers to be roasted, ground into cocoa mass, and mixed with sweetness to create the tasty treats that us chocolate lovers treasure.
But there is a vital component of this process that often gets overlooked – the hands that make it happen.
Real people. Real hands. Real lives.
It is important to us that all of our cheesecakes are made by Real people, and it is just as important to us that we support the Real hands harvesting the cacao beans that make their way into our desserts.
In recent years, disturbing information has surfaced around forced child labor in the production of chocolate. This has only made it more imperative that we continue to maintain our awareness of where our products come from.
Cocoa farms are typically small, family-owned, and passed down from one generation to the next. Unfortunately, poverty is still a big issue as many farmers barely have access to basic things like clean water, health services, or education.
The worst part? Much too often, cocoa farmers are drastically underpaid. The average price you would pay for a chocolate bar at your local store is likely more than what a cocoa farmer earns in a week. This is unethical, immoral, and frankly, unacceptable.
Doing our part
At Chuckanut Bay Foods, we only buy chocolate from companies that share our values, engage in ethical practices, and pay these farmers a respectable wage that can support them and their families. We ensure that the money we spend on chocolate goes back to the farmers so they can feed their families and put roofs on their schools.
Another key thing we look at when choosing our chocolate supplier is their environmental practices. Water conservation, energy-saving, reduction and recycling of waste, and managing environmental risk are essential. We feel we have a role to play in the healing of our planet and want to take every opportunity we can to contribute.
To sum it up… we love chocolate… and every element that creates it.
We love the taste, the way it makes us feel, and all the fun varieties it comes in. But as we have now seen, there is a deeper tale to chocolate than what first meets the eye. It’s a story of a wounded planet trying to heal, a cacao tree lounging in the sun, and millions of humble farmers looking to improve their way of life.
Without them, the chocolate we love so much would not be possible.
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