Tag: Chocolate

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And now for something completely different …

I’ve gotten used to the idea that people will mix chocolate with just about anything edible. Part of that is human curiosity, another part is the desire to come up with yet another new thing that can stand out in an ever more crowded market. But the news of the first chocolate made with camel milk did seem to warrant at least a mention. So, here it is. A company in the United Arab Emirates has produced the first milk chocolate made with camel milk. It comes in the shape of, you guessed it, hollow camels–one a baby camel at 130g and the other a big camel at 730g. The manufacturer, Al Nassma Chocolate, assures buyers that only the finest ingredients have been used.

I usually resist most gimmicks when it comes to chocolate. Why mess with something that’s already perfect? But I guess there is a case to be made for milk chocolate using something other than cow’s milk. If anyone out there has tried it, let me know.

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October is Fair Trade Month!

I almost forgot to write this post. October is Fair Trade Month. It is an important reminder to consider fair trade purchases whenever possible. Not just during this month, but always. Having just returned from Europe, I was again astonished how much more prevalent fair trade products are in ordinary stores. The U.S. still has a lot of catching up to do.

As the mortgage-banking-credit crisis gathered full steam over the past two years, I could not help but see parallels between the ever more esoteric financial derivatives invented by profit hungry investment bankers and the lives of those stuck with an rotten mortgage on the one hand and the operations of the futures and options markets in relation to the lives of the farmers who grow the raw materials that satisfy our cravings on the other.

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Reverse Trick-or-Treat Campaign starts again

For the second year in a row, a number of organizations concerned about the fate of children in the cocoa sector around the world are pooling their resources for a reverse trick-or-treat campaign on Halloween. The campaign is indented to educate consumers about the labor conditions in the cocoa sector and the fair trade alternatives available to them.

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Robert Steinberg dies

This seems to be the week to report on the deaths of chocolate makers. I just heard that Robert Steinberg, founder of Scharffen Berger Chocolates, died of cancer last week . Those interested in good chocolate know, of course, that Scharffen Berger was among the first endeavors to bring good chocolate to the market in the U.S. I finally had a chance to tour their factory just last May. But I actually knew him personally.

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