There’s a nasty ingredient hidden in that sweet chocolate bar: Slavery. That’s right, lurking in the shadows of the monolithic chocolate industry, modern-day slavery is common practice in many cocoa-producing countries.

West Africa, accounting for 60 percent of the world’s cocoa supply, is a notorius haven for chocolate slavery, most often taking the form of child labor abuse. In the Ivory Coast and Ghana, children, hoping for a better life, are lured onto cocoa plantations and tricked into slavery. Most are under the age of 16, working excessively long days, for little or no pay, under physical and mental duress, with no option to leave.

We cringe at the thought of slavery souring the image of everyday grocery products ─ not just chocolate, but coffee and sugar, too. We believe these abhorrent labor abuses will end only when consumers make socially responsible purchasing decisions. That’s why, since 2005, we’ve been making strides to produce 100 percent slavery-free chocolate. Our aim? To stamp out chocolate slavery by offering chocolate lovers a socially responsible chocolate choice!