Littleton Food Coop

a community owned market

Social Icons

Open Daily 7am - 8pm
(603) 444-2800

  • Home
  • About
    • Meet our Staff
    • Departments
    • Recall Info
    • Careers
  • Community
    • Partner of the Month
    • Littleton Food Co-op Community Fund
    • Healthy Food Access Program
    • Cooking With Chad
    • The Radish Newsletter
    • Co-op Café & Art Gallery
    • News & Updates
  • Membership
    • Board of Directors
    • Bylaws
    • Financials
  • Store
    • Weekly Specials
    • Daily Menu
    • Store Map
    • Local Vendors
    • Co-op Café & Art Gallery
    • Bulk Item Lookup
    • Craft Beer
    • Party Platters & Custom Baskets
  • Contact
    • Frequently Asked Questions

The Sweetest Chocolate

July 17, 2019 By Anastasia Maher

All chocolate is sweet. Yes, sometimes there’s sea salt or a hearty nut involved, or a bitter aftertaste, but the overwhelming amount of chocolate can be lumped into the “sweet” category. So how do you get sweeter than sweet? You make it through fair trade processes and without slave labor. 

Slave labor is considered to be any labor that invokes a human rights violation. Unfortunately, this burden often falls on one of the most vulnerable populations: low-income children. Sometimes, it initiates from a malicious place, but other times it comes from a place of desperation of families wanting to create a better life and farmers needing to cut costs because of the low price of cocoa. No matter the origin, many children spend their adolescence doing hard labor on farms instead of studying in school. The fair trade movement is about correcting this practice through “better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world,” according to the Fairtrade Foundation. Companies can become “certified fair trade” through a selection of independent organizations. 

When most people discuss unethical labor and practices in the chocolate industry, they are referring to the Ivory Coast of Africa. Ivory Coast farmers supply about 30% of the cocoa beans needed to sustain the world chocolate market. Children here can be paid just 85 cents a day for contributing to a billion dollar industry. While these inhumane conditions have existed since long before any chocolate was sold in stores, large-scale movements to actually do something about it only came into focus around the last turn of the century. The overarching goal of these movements was obviously to eradicate child labor. That goal has sadly not been reached. What has come from this is more consumer awareness of foods’ value chains and the emergence of new chocolate companies who want to lead the way in ending such poor conditions in the Ivory Coast. You may recognize them as the “higher priced brands.” This is because the organizations pay a “fair trade premium” to their farmer partners so they can collaboratively work to end cycles of poverty. 

Companies leading the way towards an equitable chocolate industry include: 

  • Tony’s Chocolonely
  • Taza Chocolate
  • Theo Chocolate
  • Endangered Species Chocolate
  • Lake Champlain Chocolate
  • TCHO Chocolate

*We want to take a second to acknowledge the imperfections of this list. First, just because a company is not on this list doesn’t mean they engage in unethical practices. Sometimes, small companies do not have a big enough following to be recognized for their efforts, and/or they choose not to register with a third party organization even though they qualify. Even the large corporations that have become synonymous with child labor in the chocolate industry are setting goals for fairer conditions in the near future. Secondly, these third party certifications have come under fire for their ways of enforcement that allow farmers to easily sidestep an inspection. However, these imperfect systems are raising awareness of this prevalent issue, which is the first step in improving our global food systems.

 

Some resources to learn more:

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/feb/24/ivory-coast-cocoa-farmers-fairtrade-fortnight-women-farmers-trade-justice

https://blog.equalexchange.coop/child-labor-in-the-cocoa-industry/

https://laborrights.org/in-the-news/was-your-chocolate-produced-using-child-slave-labor

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/business/hershey-nestle-mars-chocolate-child-labor-west-africa/?utm_term=.02d92c8e75c9

Filed Under: Fair Trade, The Cooperative Times Tagged With: child labor, chocolate, chocolate industry, ethical buying, fair trade, fair trade chocolate, farmer, food systems, Littleton Food Co-op, littleton food coop, slave free chocolate

Sampling: Meadowstone Farm Meats

April 27, 2019 By Littleton Food Co-op

Join our friends from Meadowstone Farm (just down the road!), who will be setting up a table in our store and offering samples of their farm-fresh meats and sausage.

Meadowstone Farm is a small, diverse farm located in Bethlehem, NH with a long history. They raise a variety of animals for cheese, eggs, and meat,  providing them with the space they need to forage and interact, while also offering them quality organic grain and nutritious hay. You can learn more about how their animals are raised on their website. These products are all available at the co-op, along with fresh veggies and other produce!

Tagged With: delicious, Eat Healthy in New Hampshire, farm, farmer, free sample, game day food, Littleton Food Co-op, Littleton NH, local farm, Local Food, Locavore, meadowstone farm, meet the farmer, meet your farmer, new hampshire, north country, pasture raised, pasture raised meat, pork, sausage, Small Farms in NH

Workshop: How to Be a Co-op Vendor

April 18, 2019 By Littleton Food Co-op

Attention all you wonderful makers, growers, and producers out there! As part of our mission to support local products and cultivate growth in our regional economy, we are partnering with WREN for an information-packed workshop outlining the guidelines and criteria for becoming a Co-op vendor. Whether you make soap, brew beer, forage in the woods, grow veggies, raise animals, create art, or bake cookies, everyone is welcome to attend and learn. Meet our buyers, get some entrepreneurial advice, and network with other locals!

This event is FREE; registration is not required but we appreciate an RSVP.

Tagged With: art, artisan, artist, business, craft, economic growth, entrepreneur, farmer, gig, grower, handmade, how to sell, local, local art, local craft, Local Food, local produce, maker, NEK, networking, new hampshire, north country, Northeast Kingdom, producer, rural, start a business, start your own business, vendor, workshop, WREN

Sampling: Sweet Doe Gelato

January 19, 2019 By Littleton Food Co-op

Sweet Doe Gelato is proud to be Vermont’s first and only producer of goat milk gelato. They currently offer farmstead gelato in three distinct flavors – vanilla, chocolate and coffee! Stop in and try some yourself.

Sweet Doe Dairy is all about the good life. Theirs is a tale of two passionate people who transitioned from the city to the country determined to pursue their dream – a dream of getting back to the land, giving back to the community, and producing amazing farmstead gelato with milk from a special breed of dairy goat that makes it all possible. They built their farm and creamery with their own two hands and the help of many a generous neighbor in the small town of Chelsea, Vermont, to bring you a gelato unlike any other – a taste of the good life, straight from their hearts!

Tagged With: baby goats, creamery, cute goats, dairy, farm fresh, farmer, free sample, gelato, gelato in vermont, goat milk, goat milk gelato, Littleton NH, local farm, Local Food, new hampshire, north country, sweet doe dairy, vermont, vermont dairy

Download More Deals!

Bi-weekly Co+op Deals

Coupon Book Preview


2021
Partners of the Month

January
Healthy Food Access Fund

February
Mt. Eustis Ski Hill

March
Organized Acts of Kindness for Seniors (OAKS)

April
Ammonoosuc Community Health Services

May
Littleton Area Senior Center

June
Boys and Girls Club of the North Country

July
The Bancroft House - A Family Sanctuary

August
Above the Notch Humane Society

September
Copper Cannon Camp

October
Littleton Co-op Community Fund

November
Local Food Pantries

December
Second Chance Animal Rescue



Get Our Weekly Newsletter!

* indicates required

[test]

News & Updates

News & Updates

LittletonCoopLittleton Food Co-op@LittletonCoop·
February 25, 2021

The ☁ Floating ☁ Member Discount is back! Members save 10% on one shopping trip Fri 2/26 -Sun 2/28. Learn more: https://mailchi.mp/littletoncoop/210225

LittletonCoopLittleton Food Co-op@LittletonCoop·
February 18, 2021

Warning: Multiple Fish Puns Enclosed - https://mailchi.mp/littletoncoop/210211-5135989

LittletonCoopLittleton Food Co-op@LittletonCoop·
January 20, 2021

The Floating Member Discount is back Fri 1/22 - Sun 1/24! Members get 10% off eligible items during one shopping trip - you pick the day to save!

LittletonCoopLittleton Food Co-op@LittletonCoop·
January 9, 2021

Our Citrus Sale is happening now! Get a great deal on oranges and grapefruit by the case, through Thu 1/14/21.

43 Bethlehem Road· On the corner of Cottage St and Rte 302· Exit 41 off I-93· 603-444-2800
Littleton Consumer Cooperative Society, Inc. ®2019 · Designed by Notchnet

HOLIDAY HOURS: Christmas Eve - 7am - 6pm | Christmas Day - Closed | New Years Eve - 7am -8pm | New Years Day - 9am - 7pm