Divine Chocolate and the Eden school trip

Sara and Wendy finish their tour at Eden with Paul and Kojo

Two groups of fourteen year old school girls were taken for a tour of the tropical Eden Biome to see cocoa pods growing on the trees before being treated to presentations from Kojo and Paul. After taking the groups through the bean to bar process they were also able to talk in detail about the benefits of Fairtrade and the importance of their roles as Kuapa Kokoo recorders in their villages. After a Q and A session everyone was treated to Dubble chocolate bars.

Divine Chocolate in Eden

Caitlin Guest, winner of the Divine Chocolate Poetry Competition read her poem at Eden

Paul and Kojo in the biomes at the Eden Project

Photos accredited to the Eden Project

Another early start, another hearty fry-up (with extra mushrooms and bacon) and we were back on the train, headed to St Austell in Cornwall. We were greeted at the station by the multi-coloured Monroe Shephard from the Eden Project. He took us to meet the St Austell Fairtrade steering committee and local council members before leading us around a number of shops taking part in St Austell’s ‘Fairtrade trail’. Kojo and Paul were delighted to see shops stocking the Divine Easter Eggs and one bookseller kindly gave Paul a bible.

After lunch we were taken to the steamy wonderland of Eden Project’s tropical Biome. Kojo and Paul were astonished to be introduced to Hetty – Eden’s very own cocoa farmer! – before being introduced to Eden’s very own cocoa trees! The winner of the Divine Poetry competition (12-16years age group), Caitlin Guest, had made a special trip to Eden to meet the farmers. We were privileged enough to hear a live reading of her winning poem ‘Not Just Cocoa’.

School groups were treated to first hand stories of cocoa farming in Ghana and Paul gave a live demonstration of splitting open a cocoa pod with a machete! Visitors were given the rare opportunity to sample the fruity pulp of the cocoa seed in the Biome and the chance to sample delicious Divine Chocolate up in Eden’s shop. Having seen the biome Kojo said “I can’t believe that all the plants we were telling you about are here. We’ll have to watch out ... soon Eden will be growing cocoa for the UK’s chocolate!”.

Fairtrade Fortnight Tour

image by kim naylor

Welcome to the Divine Chocolate Fairtrade Fortnight blog.

Divine Chocolate is inviting two cocoa farmers from Ghana to join them here for Fairtrade Fortnight 2008 (25th February – 9th March). Throughout the tour Divine Chocolate and the two farmers will be regulary updating this blog with stories of their journey. This year Divine Chocolate’s tour will include visits to Ireland and Wales, as well as several events in England.

Throughout the two weeks Divine Chocolate and the two Kuapa farmers will be attending a variety of Fairtrade-inspired events and talking to schoolchildren, shoppers and retailers, church groups and local businesses, government officials and Fairtrade steering committees. They will be telling their stories of how Fairtrade, and owning a chocolate company, has changed their lives – and in turn discovering how much we love chocolate here in the UK – and why ‘chocolate makes the world go round’!

The current schedule includes England events in London, Exeter and the Eden Project in Cornwall. In Wales the tour includes Bangor, Powys, Cardiff and Aberystwyth. Then on to Ireland where visits to Dublin, Cork and Belfast are planned.

Divine Chocolate has toured every year for the past six years with cocoa farmers during Fairtrade Fortnight, and 2008 will be the first time the farmers who come will be men! Their roles as Recorders are key to the structure and organisation of Kuapa Kokoo – they are elected as trusted fellow-farmers to weigh the cocoa accurately and pay farmers the right price accordingly. Each year thousands of people in the UK have had the chance to hear farmers speak and hear firsthand the impact of Fairtrade, and hundreds of them have had the chance to speak to the farmers in person. This direct connection with the farmers behind the food we love is key to the appeal of Fairtrade.