If you’re a chocolate lover like me it’s likely you know about Divine. It’s probably the most popular certified Fairtrade chocolate available today. I remember the first time I tried it was in secondary school one Easter, our head teacher gave every student a bar and it was absolutely Divine! Now it’s my chocolate bar of choice because not only is it some of the most delicious chocolate I’ve tried, I also love that it is Fairtrade Labelled.
If you’ve never tried Divine chocolate then I urge you to do so soon (I especially recommend Divine Orange Milk Chocolate and Divine Dark Chocolate Caramel), and if you want to know more about the company then you’re in the right place! Divine is a UK based company that was founded in 1998 and was co-owned by the Kuapa Kokoo farmer’s co-operative in Ghana, Twin Trading and The Body Shop along with support from Christian Aid and Comic Relief. In 2006 the Body Shop donated its shares to Kuapa Kokoo which gave the co-operative at 45% stake in the company.
For those like me who don’t understand much about business, this means that the farmers who grow the cocoa used to make Divine Chocolate share the profits made by the company and have two members on the board of directors giving them a direct say in how Divine Chocolate is produced and sold. Being certified Fairtrade means the farmers are paid a Fairtrade Premium for the cocoa they grow, and this premium is used to develop farming communities and farming skills, focussing on water, health, educations and sanitation to improve living standards. The dividends received by Kuapo Kokoo are invested in the business enabling farmers to have a new machete for each year’s harvest.
I don’t know about you, by I love knowing that when I buy chocolate the money is going to a good place rather than to the owner of a huge corporation that may exploit workers in developing countries. Divine Chocolate has it all, it’s ethically sourced and delicious – what more do you need?
What’s your favourite Divine Chocolate bar?