What I quoted was not a comment – it was from the concluding paragraph of your post. And I don’t think I misunderstood it, I think you mis-wrote whatever it was you were thinking.

This:
“Yes, they are more expensive – but chocolate is a treat and it is more labour-intensive to grow fair trade cocoa using organic methods.”

Probably reflects what you were trying to say better than this:

“Yes, they are more expensive- chocolate is a treat and should be labor-intensive to grow if done properly.”

Why don’t you change it?

You’ve misunderstood my comment- I’m not suggesting that the cocoa farmers work harder- indeed fair trade IS all about making sure various products are produced in conditions that are well-paid and not back-breaking. (And non-fair trade, conventional farming techniques are often abusive- see commenters above). However, ALL organic agriculture does tend to be more labor-intensive since instead of pesticides, herbicides and monoculture crops that degrade the environment, human labor is used- as long as this labor is done in a fair way, I have no problem with it as it provides a good income to a local community while preserving biodiversity. People in the community are paid fairly for their labor, and likely more of them would be working- which COSTS more for the end consumer but doesn’t mean that these people are individually working harder than conventional cocoa-growing, indeed they should be working less and being paid more.

Are you insane?! You’re basically saying that the people in far away nations who grow cocoa should be working their asses off so you can have your ‘guilt free’ treat. Why should fair trade cocoa be labour intensive to grow? Isn’t the whole point of fair trade to ensure fair treatment of the people who grow what is being traded?!

I’d throw in Theo Chocolate and Yachana Cocoa Nibs [http://www.shopequita.com/fchy1486.htm} to the mix for favs!

Props to Divine for a wickedly tasty bar and a great example of leading by the principles of Fair Trade. (details from the Democracy Now! transcript http://www.democracynow.org/20.....redient_to):
“There are three particular chocolate companies that have done an excellent job of developing the local communities and bringing in the farmers as stakeholders, meaning that in one particular company, Divine Chocolate, which is a company based out of England, but has just now begun sales across the United States, they have entered into a partnership with Kuapa Kokoo, which is a cocoa cooperative in Ghana. And the company itself is owned by investors in England, but also I think—and I don’t have the number offhand, but I think it’s around 45% of the company is owned by the African farmers themselves. The cooperative is a cooperative of 20,000 farmers, who each receive a premium on top of the sale price of the cocoa, so that way they can provide each other microcredit for other types of income-earning sources, but also so they can get their children into schools and help develop the local education system.”
–BRIAN CAMPBELL, Attorney with the International Labor Rights Fund.

Also, Rapunzel — organic swiss chocolate. They too support sustainable farming and fair trade. The cocoa is grown in Bolivia and Dominican Republic.