CHOCOLATE AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
Oct 14, 2021
A Different Perspective on Child Labor in West Africa
As you may already know, the chocolate industry has a long and terrible history of using slave labor, including forcing children to work in ways that can harm them. Part of the driving force behind Tangle Chocolate and many other fine chocolate makers is to end such practices. But this issue is more complex and nuanced than it seems at first glance. I recently attended a panel discussion on child labor in west Africa that presented the issue in a cultural context and from the point of view of cacao farmers and the children themselves, and want to share what I learned.
Sep 30, 2021
Women in Chocolate: Alysha Kropf, Ecole Chocolat
For Alysha Kropf of Ecole Chocolat, an online culinary school for all things chocolate, a love of chocolate is in her genes. Read how she went from being "Sticker Girl" as a child, when she helped wrap holiday chocolate confections, to now being the program and marketing director at Ecole and a contributor to making the chocolate industry more sustainable and equitable.
Sep 16, 2021
Women in Chocolate: Ruth Kennison, The Chocolate Project
Ruth Kennison is a chocolatier, chocolate educator, and the founder of The Chocolate Project in Los Angeles, California. Read about her story, her business, and her thoughts on the bean-to-bar chocolate industry in 2021!
Aug 19, 2021
Women in Chocolate: Lindsay Tarnoff, Laughing Gull Chocolates
Lindsay Tarnoff is founder and chief chocolatier of Laughing Gull Chocolates in Rochester, New York—but she's also a passionate mom and social justice advocate who has found a way to fill all of these roles at the same time.
Jun 10, 2021
CHOCOLATE BOOKS TO TAKE TO THE BEACH
Ah, summer. Time for many of us to spend some time unplugged by the water, reading, napping, and doing whatever brings us joy. Taking chocolate to the beach is not a great idea unless you want to slurp it melted, but there are numerous excellent books about chocolate that travel a lot better than chocolate itself. Here are four of Tangle Chocolate’s favorites.
Jun 3, 2021
CHOCOLATE NEWS ROUNDUP
Frogs and cicadas and chocolate... oh my! There have been some unusual and exciting chocolate news stories lately, from chocolate-covered cicadas to the tracking of deforestation. Here’s a recap of several of the stories that caught our eye here at Tangle Chocolate.
May 27, 2021
THE CHOCOLATE INDUSTRY FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE
This week marked the first anniversary of George Floyd’s murder. One of the countless responses to his death was the formation of the Chocolate Industry for Social Justice, or CISJ. Read about how a group of craft chocolate makers and others are hoping to improve social justice up and down the chocolate supply chain.
May 13, 2021
THE CONNECTION BETWEEN BEET SUGAR AND THE ABOLITION OF SLAVERY
“Manufactured by free people, not by slaves.” This claim, which is still salient today, was first used in 1898 by beet sugar maker David Ruggles, an abolitionist who led a movement away from cane sugar and its enslaved labor. Read more about this fascinating history, which unfolded right up the road from Tangle.
May 6, 2021
A MOTHER-DAUGHTER COLLAB WITH TANGLE CHOCOLATE
For Mother's Day 2021, we bring you a bio of the mother-daughter duo from Blue Skye Wellness who created "Light," the happy, energizing room spritzer included in Tangle Chocolate's gift box called "Let the Light In." It also contains a box of our premium handmade organic chocolate slivers, a bag of YUP coffee beans, and Amherst Soaps's Tangle Chocolate soap made from our cocoa husks and nibs.
Apr 15, 2021
IS SUGAR GMO-FREE?
If you read our last blog post, you’ll know that not all sugar is vegan. Cane sugar generally is not vegan, beet sugar is. However, cane sugar is way less likely to be made with GMO crops, whereas beet sugar most likely started with GMO beets. Here's a little more info to help you understand the pros and cons of GMOs.
Apr 8, 2021
IS SUGAR VEGAN?
Sugar comes from either sugar cane or beets. Vegan foods are those that are made with no animal products. Sugar cane and beets are plants. So why isn't sugar always vegan? The secret culprit is a product called bone char. Bone char is made from cattle bones and is a de-coloring filter often, but not always, used in sugar production. Read more to find out why it may matter to you and how to make sure you are consuming truly vegan sugar.
Apr 1, 2021
NEW COLLABORATION WITH AMHERST SOAPS
April 1, 2021. What do soap and chocolate have in common? Normally, not a lot. But Amherst Soaps’s new Tangle Chocolate bar uses the byproducts of our chocolate-making process, cocoa husks and dust, to add an exfoliant, slight natural scent, and beauty to this bar of luxurious soap. It's a perfect collaboration!