Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Equal Exchange Chocolate

Greetings! So...this is my first post! Hoorah!

I haven't blogged in a while so I may be a bit rusty, so forgive me if I come off as dull (and feel free to tell me if do!). After having a baby I needed something to fill the little time I had to myself that made me feel creative and productive at the same time, so I started Healthy Mommy, Healthy Baby. Then my career got back into gear, so I had to stop all my healthy recipe posting. Time passed. I got antsy. I needed a writing outlet again, so here it goes!

You might be wondering– why did I choose to write about green products? Well, I'll tell you what all really started this. Back in April, I went to this fabulous, amazing event called Green Festival in New York City. There, I met so many incredible, passionate people and learned about all the innovative products and services they were offering. My mind was abuzz for days after the expo, and I couldn't help but gab to everyone I know about all the new green goodies I picked up. The seed for a green-sumer blog was planted. I thought and thought about it for a few days, even wrote an outline and took some pics of my eco-friendly haul. But, time was not available to me back in the spring. I didn't forget about my idea, though, and finally my creative spirit couldn't take it anymore...so, here I am!

Now, the question became...which product should I review first? Which had the most impact on me? Which would people like to hear about? To try for themselves? I looked over my list of things to review, and the one that stood out the most was the one I Instagramed as soon as I tried it: Equal Exchange chocolate.



Who doesn't like chocolate? Crazy people, that's who...and the lactose-intolerant, who I will personally apologize to now. You poor, poor things.

I met one of the most lively and genuinely enthusiastic sales reps at the Equal Exchange booth. She told me lots of exciting and inspiring things about Equal Exchange, like how are the cocoa bean farms are farmer-owned, how the entire operation is co-oped and Fair Trade, and free from child labor. But, really, all it took to get me on board with Equal Exchange was the chocolate itself. WOW! I picked up three flavors: Orange Dark Chocolate, Ecuador Dark, and Mint Chocolate. All were spectacular, and I am not even exaggerating when I say that. Best chocolate ever, and not just because it's such a socially responsible and eco-friendly company, but because the chocolate is so effing delish! I also got the Spicy Cocoa and can't wait to enjoy it this winter!

To add to Equal Exchange's amazingness, the wrapper is biodegradable, being made from non-GMO wood pulps that are either FSC certified, or working towards becoming certified (it can be quite a process!). Many of the bars are vegan, and all are organic. Equal Exchange also offers organic coffees and teas, as well as Fair Trade bananas, which are pretty difficult to come by these days.

You can purchase Equal Exchange products on their website, from Whole Foods Supermarkets, and other specialty health food stores. 


This product is:
1. Made in a sustainable, eco-friendly manner
2. Made from sustainable, eco-friendly materials
3. FSC certified
4. USDA organic
5. Fair Trade certified
6. Made from recycled materials
7. Gives back to the planet by charitable means
8. Animal cruelty-free
9. Vegan
10. Super awesome
 Hits every tier on the Greensumer Tier of Truth! 
Hooray for Equal Exchange!