Reverse Trick-or-Treating Campaign and GIVEAWAY

I find it quite exciting to be able to present to you different opportunities in the next couple of weeks before our baby girl is born. Even though cooking and baking has been quite simple around our home we have been keeping quite busy! Even though recipe posts might not be quite as frequent, news about the new addition to our family will be current.

In the meantime, I would like to continue to share with you all another one of my favorite companies called Equal Exchange, a company that “partners with co-operatives of farmers who provide high-quality organic coffees, teas, chocolates, bananas and snacks from all over the world.” They started out with fairly traded coffee from Nicaragua, but eventually branched out and now support small farmer co-ops and empower farmers and consumers.

We are very much coffee drinkers and not just any coffee but GOOD coffee. Ryan is VERY particular when it comes to beans and it took a long time to be able to find the perfect blend and roast until we found a lovely coffee shop in Holland, Michigan that serves Equal Exchange coffee. In time both Ryan and I knew we really liked the Organic Mind, Body, and Soul:

Aroma: butterscotch, vanilla custard, pecans, milk chocolate

Flavor: balanced, cocoa, caramelized sugar, malt

Mouthfeel: weighty and thick

Acidity: light sparkle

Aftertaste: dark chocolate, walnut, brown sugar

We then found out that our coffee shop sold it in 5 pound bags which turned out to be more economical. Here we were supporting a good cause AND enjoying delicious coffee.

I also enjoy Equal Exchange’s Organic Very Dark 71% Chocolate which I either eat or melt down to make treats like my Raw Chocolate Coconut Cashew Truffles along with their amazing cocoa powder.

Not only did I want to introduce you to this company but I also wanted to share with you an idea and campaign that Equal Exchange has been a part of for 5 years now. They started a campaign called Reverse Trick-or-Treat Halloween Drive to end forced child labor in cocoa countries which involves handing out informational cards along with organic, Fair Trade chocolates from West Bridgewater, MA-based Equal Exchange when they go trick-or-treating. This allows participants to bring attention to the thousands of children who have been trafficked and forced to work in exploitative conditions on West African cocoa farms.

Instead of kids coming to the door to RECEIVE candy consider having the kids HAND OUT candy to the adults opening doors in order to better inform and to raise awareness of child labor, forced labor, trafficking and more!

ORGANIZE your group of families or other volunteer trick-or-treaters who would like to participate and then consider ordering a kit from Equal Exchange that includes the following:

1 box of 150 Organic Dark Chocolate “minis.”
150 Reverse Trick-or-Treating cards
150 glue dots
1 instruction sheet

Last year, Equal Exchange was able to reach 200,000 households and they would love to reach even more this year. Why not do something different?

Read more about what is happening”

Yet again, please consider doing something different this year if you celebrate Halloween or not, but anyone can still work this in their community or church. Check out the kit and consider organizing a group in your neighborhood.

If you are a school, a non-profit or other organization order a kit from HERE

If you are a faith-based group or current Equal Exchange Interfaith customer, order your kit from HERE

GIVEAWAY!

Equal Exchange has generously donated a Mini Chocolate Basket to be won by one of my readers. This basket is filled with 12 ounces of Equal Exchange Organic Dark Chocolate Minis. Imported from Vietnam by Ten Thousand Villages, these fairly traded smoked bamboo baskets are sourced from Craft Link, a non-profit that works with artisans in an effort to generate income, with a focus on ethnic minorities, street children, and artisans with disabilities. Vegan & gluten-free.

How to Enter?

Like Equal Exchange on Facebook
Follow Equal Exchange on Twitter and tweet the following “Reverse Trick-or-Treating and GIVEAWAY- hand out chocolate on Halloween & raise awareness of child labor on cocoa farms http://bit.ly/rej1HD
If you purchase a kit, leave a comment saying you did.
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Follow Opera Singer in the Kitchen on Twitter