Fair Trade Brand Gets Out the Vote

Through November, Divine Chocolate, the Fair Trade chocolate brand co-owned by Ghanian cocoa farmers, will contribute a percentage of sales from each bar sold to sponsor Fair Trade awareness activities at Rock the Vote (RTV) events. Additionally, Divine and RTV will launch and publicize the initiative online via their respective websites and facebook pages. The campaign encourages young Americans to exercise their right to vote by showing the key roles that democracy, Fair Trade and voting play in the lives of cocoa farmers in Ghana.

“Kuapa Kokoo Farmers’ Cooperative, the co-owners of Divine Chocolate, set out to create better lives for West African cocoa farmers,” explained Erin Gorman, CEO of Washington-based Divine Chocolate US. “They use three powerful tools: They are organized, democratic, and involve men and women equally. This has given them the power they need to improve their livelihoods and change the chocolate industry.”

“Coinciding with our get-out-the-vote effort this fall, we will involve young people in conversations around Fair Trade issues as they participate in our democracy by pledging and turning out to vote on Nov. 2,” added Heather Smith, president of RTV, also based in Washington.

During the fall, Divine will attend a range voting events across the United States, including ones held by RTV, and solicit young people’s opinions on democracy and Fair Trade. Through an online contest at www.divinechocolateusa.com, the brand will also ask consumers to submit their best ideas for spreading the word about Fair Trade.

Updates from the campaign will appear at www.facebook.com/divinechocolate.