Tune into this episode to hear the perspective of a true OG in the chocolate and cocoa activism space. Ayn Rigg's fight to eliminate child slavery from chocolate's supply chain started over 15 years ago, after she heard in the UK that chocolate is tied to child slavery. Upon her return to the US, she thought she might donate to a group working on this, but to her dismay she found absolutely nothing that focused on bringing attention to the plight of these farmers and children. That's when she created Slave Free Chocolate. Ayn decided to take up this cause as she felt it was what she should do. She is not connected to the chocolate or food industry in any manner and her independence from the industry allows her voice to be her own. Slavefreechocolate.org is truly one of the best resources I’ve stumbled on while researching ethical chocolate.
In this episode, we’re exploring the dark side of the chocolate industry and how most chocolate sold in the United States is produced with forced child labor. This is an issue that has been known about for decades now, but still very little improvement has been made over the years to fix it. In fact the problem is still growing with reports showing that more than 1.5 million children engage in hazardous work on cocoa farms in West Africa alone. Terry Collingsworth is an international human rights attorney whose main focus is on litigating international human rights cases and leading evidence-gathering missions in countries that commit, allow or condone human rights abuses. Tune in for an insightful conversation.
In today's episode, Eric Case and Emma Rose explore solutions that we as chocolate consumers can easily implement. Eric Case has worked in the chocolate industry for over 25 years. Today he shares with us some of what he has learned over the years, leading into the topic of child labor and what we can do to combat this problem. Tune in until the end for a pro-tip about what chocolate you should try next!
In this episode, we dive into the world of cocoa farming, and the process of making chocolate from bean to bar. Jeff Abella started a cocoa and coffee farm in Cameroon, Africa. He also owns a bean to bar chocolate and coffee roasting company in the USA called Moka Origins! Tune in for a fun conversation.
Today we are diving into the world of chocolate in West Africa with a highly knowledgeable scholar of cocoa: Dr. Kristy Leissle is a scholar of cocoa and chocolate, and co-founder of the Cocoapreneurship Institute of Ghana. Since 2004, her work has investigated the politics, economics, and cultures of these industries, focusing on West African political economy and agriculture, specialty cocoa trades, and the complex meanings produced and consumed through chocolate marketing and advertising. Her book, Cocoa explores cocoa geopolitics and personal politics. She is the author of the series, “I am a cocoa farmer,” published by ConfectioneryNews, which offers in-depth profiles of people who farm cocoa for a living in West Africa. Home - Doc of Choc