Endangered Species Chocolate currently has three representatives in Peru visiting the farmers that grow the organic cocoa that is used in our organic milk and dark chocolate bars. A first impression from Nick, our graphic designer and one of the employees that was also in Ivory Coast, is that ” This place is different from Africa for sure. It is absolutely beautiful here…can’t describe it.”

Having met with the Naranjillo Cooperative administration, our crew reports that they are completely transparent, answering all of our questions. Yesterday they held a press conference to show how organic chocolate is marketed in the United States. From there they ventured out to the farms to meet the cocoa farmers and their families.

Doreen, our director of education, gained valuable information about how we can help the communities where our organic cocoa is grown. First, they hope to learn about sustainble infrastructure. The co-op currently creates a sustainable process for farmers to plant, grow and harvest cocoa trees. Their goal is to empower cocoa farmers to produce their own seedling trees and see the crop through from start to finished product.

Second, they seek education on nutrition and hygiene for their families. It’s refreshing to see such focus on the children within the communities. The co-op already provides school supplies to enable children to be educated, and now we can be part of their health and prosperity.

All in all, it sounds like it’s been a productive and insightful visit. We can’t wait for their safe return, when we can see amazing photos and hear all about their gracious hosts in Peru. For now, I think I may need to savor an organic dark chocolate bar to truly appreciate the hard work being done at Naranjillo Cooperative.

Who knew a cocoa tree could grow right here in Central Indiana? Sure enough, in the Garfield Park Conservatory on the near south side of Indianapolis, there is a healthy cocoa tree nestled among many other beautiful, blooming plants.

One of my favorite facts about cocoa is that it only grows between about 10-15 degrees north and south of the equator. That is, unless it’s in a glass enclosure creating the perfect tropical environment for the fruit tree. This South American beauty was thriving with 30 or more cocoa pods right here in the Indiana soil.

The staff at Garfield Park Conservatory was kind enough to offer us a few pods once they’re more mature. What a great opportunity for everyone here to taste the essence of chocolate! Such a treat.

While at the Conservatory I also saw gorgeous orchids, some that are very rare and endangered, and lily pads the size of a tire. This place is amazing and absolutely worth a visit.

I’m a little fired up today. This morning one of our customer service reps took a call from a very testy individual. The first words out of her mouth were “You are the unlucky person to answer my call today.” LUCKILY it gives us the perfect opportunity to share some information with you. Here’s an entry from her blog, followed by my comments.

Endangered Species chocolate.. well, simple enough, you would think. i had the pleasure of being treated to some bites last week of this brand of candy. i made the mistake of reading the label, which is a habit of mine, albeit a self-inflicted wound. beet sugar was the second ingredient!! sugar beets are now round-up ready,in case you have to be informed of that. this is the first year they have been introduced commercially and the growers are ecstatic! now they can spray their sugar-beet fields with herbicides! heaven help us. shame on the makers of that chocolate to mislead us into thinking they are user-friendly and compassionate about conservation of wild species, yet in their hearts they are going strictly for the dollar, as usual. big bummer . a.

We (Endangered Species Chocolate) received an abrasive call this morning from Radicalmom, which led me to seek out this post. It seems as though a June post, followed by an August fact-seeking call is a bit backwards and only lends itself to misinformation. Our very honest, open, transparent AND ethical chocolate company has some clearing up to do on this forum.

You mentioned that you made the mistake of reading our label, but your biggest mistake was not doing your research. We have layered documentation that makes its way all the way back to the direct beet supplier that says our beet sugar is non-GMO. We have been in communication with representatives of the non-GMO Project (I challenge you to find other chocolate companies that have gone so far). We actually bought forward enough non-GMO water-filtered beet sugar to last us through the end of this year and into 2009 so we would have enough time to come up with a new plan for our all-natural chocolate.

Shame on you for spreading rumors about a company that is doing everything we can to live and breathe a mission of kindness to the planet and its inhabitants. I hardly think a company that commits to giving 10% of profits to help support species, habitat and humanity (not to mention the thousands of dollars worth of chocolate we donate to nonprofits each year) is guilty of “going strictly for the dollar.”

Our mantra at Endangered Species Chocolate is Reverence for Life. We hope you’ll extend the same courtesy to us if you choose to contact us again.

Though its been a couple months, I still share stories of Africa regularly. Recently I was telling a local Indianapolis chocolate-maker about eating pure, raw cacao straight from the pod. So here I am reminiscing on the blog.

I was a little weird about it at first. I mean, they just chopped the pod off the trunk of the tree and used the same machete to crack it open. I don’t know that it’s any different from the bananas, grapefruit or mango that we snacked on that day. It’s just that, what you see inside a cacao pod is not all what you’d expect to be the main ingredient in chocolate! It’s white, lumpy, pulpy…and delicious! The flavor is so sweet and milky. Nick and I agreed that we must find a way to bottle that pulp!

I mistakenly chewed and swallowed the entire bean at first, which was still yummy, yet a little bitter. I soon learned that it’s best when you savor the pulpy goodness from around the bean then spit the seed just like you would with a watermelon seed. Can you imagine all of those wonderful antioxidants from raw cacao straight from the tree?!

I was in heaven. More than 180 beautiful kitties lounging in the sun, cleaning their fur, taking a nap, lapping up water, eating a snack…even taking a swim (not so kitty-like if you ask my two little guys at home). All about an hour away from my home and work in Indianapolis. The marketing department visited the Exotic Feline Rescue Center, one of the largest rescue centers in the US for abused, neglected and unwanted big cats. Among my favorite felines were the gorgeous white tiger, the sleepy king-of-the-jungle lion and crouching leopard, swimming tiger (pictured above).

The hardworking, passionate staff gave us an amazing tour, complete with stops in the clinic, the overnight lodge and the gourmet food prep kitchen. Joe, the Director of the center, entered one of the cages containing 3 leopards, one of which is his little baby and just rubbed all around, getting lots of lovin’. We even got to pet a tiger (through the cage, of course) and play with a bobcat (it played just like a cat!). If you decide to visit the EFRC, please don’t expect to pet a cat. We were very lucky…and spoiled (perhaps due to the fact that we’re from Endangered Species Chocolate??).

While there, I had a fun idea for Christmas gifts. Since then it’s become a reality and this year Endangered Species Chocolate will be offering donation-based holiday gift sets! Naturally, we will have chocolate gift sets with donations to our 2008 10% Give Back partners, Chimp Haven and Ocean conservancy (featuring our primate and marine milk and dark chocolate bars). And since we had such a great time at the Exotic Feline Rescue Center, we’ll also have a cat-themed gift box with a donation going to EFRC! Check back to our online store closer to the holidays to send a gift that gives back.

As Americans we live in the land of the free. For years, inhabitants of other countries have coveted the freedom that our anthem boasts. Yet we are ruled by laws and consequences. We know that if we steal something, we will likely get caught and punished; if we back into someone else’s car, we will be held responsible. Often times we may question the fairness of some laws, but the average person tends to live by the rules and understands the consequences.

Now, take West Africa, specifically Nigeria. To an outsider (specifically an American), there are few laws. Driving is a free-for-all, you can wave a gun in someone’s face at-will, stuff your pockets with someone else’s belongings when they’re not looking, cut in line (that is, if there was a line to begin with)…all with little consequence other than a yelling match with another person.

These circumstances forced me to really think about freedom. Freedom is “the power to act or speak or think without externally imposed restraints.” According to this definition, Americans have limited freedom while Nigerians have many freedoms. However, the “freedom” in Nigeria doesn’t seem to work - it results in gridlocked highways, angry patients, mobs of confused people…chaos.

Please don’t read this and think I’m completely criticizing Nigeria. It’s just different. Upon travelling to Nigeria, I quickly learned that I need to check my Western values at the border. I will say that the visit definitely helped me appreciate my heritage. In a way it even helped me appreciate speeding tickets! So, leading into this U.S. holiday weekend, take a moment to reflect on your understanding of freedom. I know I’ll be celebrating my independence with a new appreciation.

Wow, have I ever neglected the blog! So much has happened in the past few weeks that I’d like to share. Let’s see if I can catch you up. I’ve still been processing my experiences from Africa and intend to blog more, in addition to sharing an interview I had with our Peruvian cacao co-op manager. First, I’d like to tell a little about another trip - to Boulder for the LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) Forum.

A week after we returned from Nigeria, I flew out to Boulder along with our CEO and East Coast Sales Manager - we met our Colorado resident West Coast Sales Manager there. Boulder was the ideal destination to bring together like-minded individuals and companies to discuss health and sustainability. The first evening featured a “Life’s Better With Chocolate” reception sponsored by yours truly, Endangered Species Chocolate. It was complete with chocolate milkshakes, dark chocolate dipped bananas, chocolate dipped cookies, dark chocolate dessert cups filled with Baileys mousse…all made with our all-natural milk and dark chocolate. Delicious! My favorite part of the evening was reuniting with an acquaintance, now friend, from National Geographic.

The rest of the Forum was a whirlwind of keynote speakers, breakout sessions and exhibit booth time. Each morning started with gentle exercise, including yoga and restorative exercises. During the day, I spent much of my time at the exhibit booth, where I met amazing people and shared stories from visiting our cacao farmers in Africa. When I did break away, I enjoyed inspiring presentations by Chip Conley (CEO of Joie de Vivre Hospitality) and Horst Rechelbacher (Founder, Aveda and Intelligent Nutrients). My colleagues (and many other attendees) raved about the “Discussion With Wal-Mart and Whole Foods.” Naturally, one of the favorite discussions was “Fair Trade/Sustainable Sourcing,” featuring representatives from Co-op America, Hess Natur, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters and Endangered Species Chocolate.

I returned home with a renewed energy and passion for our mission. The time is right and the resources are there to create a more healthful and sustainable world for everyone.

Well, we’ve been home for one week. It was a rather uneventful final few days in Nigeria. Our travel and shopping plans were cancelled, so we hung out at the hotel compound. Kelly and I got our hair braided to pass the time. Kelly was actually the first white person the woman had ever braided.

Naturally, the drive to Benin included a bit of drama. First, I documented that we were going more that 100 mph on a road that compares to a county road in Indiana. Yikes! About halfway to Benin, one of our cars had a broken wheel bearing, which meant packing 12 people (and their bags) into a car and SUV. It was a tight squeeze, but I was so ready to be headed home that I would have rode on the roof.

I’m finally starting to process some of my experiences in West Africa into real thoughts. There’s so much to share. For now, it’s great to be home.

We finally have internet!
This morning I decided to be brave and join the surgery team, a big step for me. The OR is not exactly sterile by US standards, but it seems to get the job done here. Again, my role was quickly apparent. I joined our first patient, a 3-year-old with a hernia, in the prep room where I did my best to soothe him. Patient #2 was an 8-year-old with a hernia. He was crying before the doctor ever entered the room so I talked to him and played a game. His sister also needed some attention when the needles came out. After he was under, I ventured into the OR. There was a woman getting a mass removed from her leg with a local anesthetic. I held her hand…until I nearly fainted and had to leave the room. Apparently locking your knees in a hot operating room is not such a good idea. Perhaps what you may find the most shocking is that the woman got up from the table, dressed and walked out of the OR on her own. I accompanied her to the pharmacy to pick up some Tylenol for her post-surgery pain.

A few other details of the OR to help you understand the conditions:

• the prep bed is in clear view of the outside walkway, people can peek in anytime. The sheet isn’t changed between patients, even when there’s blood on it.
• scrubbing in for non-surgeons equals wearing a hairnet and face mask that you can wear in and out of the room as often as you’d like.
• 3 beds are set up side by side with no privacy.
• removed organs are tossed in the trash.
• most patients are released same-day with little more than Tylenol and an antibiotic.
• adults don’t receive anesthesia, even for an appendectomy.

From there I spent a few hours in a much more orderly pharmacy (good work, Kelly and Dymisha!). My favorite part of pharmacy today was that the timing between surgery and pharmacy meant I was able to serve the same small boys and woman from start to finish. I feel like I added a personal touch that these people are not accustomed to.

Then we visited a local children’s home where we delivered clothing, school supplies, beanie babies, balls, and, of course, milk chocolate. We enjoyed an hour getting to know the kids. It was hard for me to leave Jessica, a 13-year-old who likes studying English and mathematics. She taught me a song about butterflies. Sadly, when it was time to go, the kids didn’t understand, “May I have a hug?” But they got one anyway. Tomorrow’s our last day at the hospital. I’m sad to leave, but anxious to come home.

We’ve had to blog via text message and cell phones all week, so the final few blogs will come after we return.  Thanks for reading - and stay tuned.