5 Places to Get Fair Trade Chocolate for Trick-or-Treaters This Year
Credit: Charles Parker
Halloween is around the corner, and you know what that means: chocolate. No, not your average Kit-Kat or Snickers. Fair trade chocolate that is delicious and good for the planet and all of us who live (and trick-or-treat) here.
What’s so special about fair trade? Fair trade is a system of exchange that honors producers, communities, consumers, and the environment. Leading fair trade businesses prioritize livable wages, safe working environments, and a minimal environmental footprint.
Instead, many major chocolate brands and retailers are guilty of child labor, poverty wages, and deforestation from cocoa farms.
Plus, many fair trade chocolates are also organic, ensuring a cocoa farm’s lack of pesticides and other harmful chemicals.
Ready to get some ethical Halloween chocolate?
Fair Trade Chocolate from Small, Green Businesses
Equal Exchange
For nearly 40 years, Equal Exchange has been a major producer of fair trade organic coffee, tea, and chocolate. The business is worker-owned and partner with farmers in over 20 countries, from Mexico to Sri Lanka. They have all sorts of chocolate bars, like the Organic Dark Chocolate Caramel Crunch with Sea Salt ($39.60 for a pack of 12), made from Togo, Dominican Republic and Peru cacao; organic sugar from Paraguay and Costa Ric; and organic vanilla from Madagascar.
But the chocolate doesn’t stop there. Equal Exchange also sells chocolate chips, minis, hot cocoa, and baking cocoa powder.
Fair Trade Winds
Okay, okay. You might not be giving out hot chocolate or coffee to trick-or-treaters. But no one says you can’t enjoy some chocolate on All Hallows’ Eve. As the fall air begins to drop and you’re ready to throw on your favorite Spooky Season movie, have a mug of Mocha Hot Chocolate ($14.95) or Chocolate Raspberry Ground Coffee ($14.95), made from fair trade and organic chocolate.
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Just Creations
Based in Kentucky, this gift shop sells all sorts of fair trade items, including chocolate from Equal Exchange and Divine, including the classic Milk Chocolate Bar ($1.95).
SUPPLY Bulk Foods
One of the best ways to prepare for trick-or-treaters is to have lots of candy ready. That’s where SUPPLY comes in—a green business offering food items in large quantities, like a half pound of Dark Chocolate Pretzels ($7.99).
Takoma Park Silver Spring Co-Op
If you live in the Washington, DC area, or want to support a co-op grocery store, the Takoma Park Silver Spring Co-Op is where you want to go. As a well-stock grocer, you can find every kind of chocolate—candy bars, baking products, ice cream, and more.
Browse these certified Green Businesses and more to get ideas for unexpected and sustainable goods for the holiday season.