Here at Zotter Chocolate, we feel that we have a social responsibility to not only make high quality chocolate for consumers to enjoy, but also to sustainably source our cocoa while improving the lives of the people who produce it. That’s why we maintain fair trade partnerships with farms and cooperatives around the world. So, what exactly is so special about fair traded chocolate? Read on for a closer look.
Personal Relationships With Cocoa Farmers
All of our cocoa is processed and crafted into our uniquely delicious chocolate bars in our chocolate factory in Austria. However, the sources of our cocoa are all over—we source beans from Peru, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Panama, Ecuador, Guatemala, Brazil, Belize, Dominican Republic, India, Madagascar, Tanzania, São Tomé and Uganda. We have visited the plantations where our beans are grown and seen firsthand where they come from. We seek out small cooperatives that cultivate cocoa with care while meeting organic farming standards.* Selecting fair traded cocoa means not buying bulk cocoa and avoiding large plantations that create monocultures that damage the surrounding environment.
Investment in Farming Communities
Fair trade cocoa not only emphasizes better growing conditions for cocoa beans, but it also ensures a strong investment in farming communities. Fair trade premiums ensure that resources are available to cooperatives to distribute towards medical care, literacy programs, schools, and other investments that benefit the communities where our cocoa comes from.
Controlled Processing
Unlike bulk cocoa, fair traded cocoa is fermented and dried separately and with the highest standards. This step makes a critical difference in the overall quality of the cocoa, allowing us to uphold the strict standards of quality we have for every one of our products.
Zotter Chocolate offers bean to bar chocolate products ranging from our creative hand-scooped chocolate to our single-source bars. Find your new favorite chocolate treat in our online store or find our products in high-end retailers throughout the U.S.
*All our products containing dairy won’t carry the USDA Organic Seal anymore, as there is an exemption in the organic equivalency agreement between the U.S. and the EU when it comes to the use of antibiotics. While in the U.S.an animal which has been treated with antibiotics cannot be used in the production ever again, the EU allows a certain wait time until the animal can be used again for the production of dairy. It still means our products are 100% organic certified in the EU, but they are not in the U.S.