We celebrated our 4^th anniversary in October 2011 by introducing our delicious new direct-trade, single origin chocolate from Belize! We’ve replaced Callebaut dark chocolate with a custom formula (with no soy lecithin!) created to our specifications by MOHO Chocolate Company for our ganache as well as our couverture.

MOHO Chocolate Company has its roots in the rainforests of Belize, along the MOHO River—where these delicious cacao beans are grown. In a better than direct-trade model, local farmers sell MOHO their ‘wet seed’ cocoa beans which are fermented at the MOHO facility under more controlled conditions, resulting in a superior product and eliminating the risk of crop loss for farmers.

Roni-Sue began exploring her most important ingredient more deeply a few years ago after visiting CottonTree Lodge in the Toledo District of Southern Belize. There, chocolate week guest activities featured visits to jungle cacao ‘farms’ guided by Mayan farmers. Tasting raw cacao fruit right from the pod was a revelation for Roni-Sue and a testament to the organic & sustainable [a.k.a. natural!] farming methods the farmers have practiced for decades.

After tramping through the jungle tasting fresh cacao & other rainforest delicacies the group was invited to the farmer’s home for lunch with his family. Roni-Sue spent the afternoon chatting with the farmer’s daughters who all attended school thanks to the extra income their father receives from selling his beans to MOHO Chocolate.   Their futures stand in stark contrast to the children of the Ivory Coast in Africa, many of whom are trafficked to work as child slaves on the large cacao farms that supply most of the cocoa beans used by the world’s major chocolate manufacturers.

Not only is our direct-trade, single origin chocolate from Belize delicious, it’s a socially responsible choice too—so you can indulge and enjoy with a clear conscience! Roni-Sue was so thrilled with her new chocolate that she became a partner in MOHO Chocolate Company with founder, Jeff Pzena. Together they are spreading the word about sustainable chocolate and are now offering other small and medium sized artisan chocolatiers the opportunity to create their own custom chocolate formula too. For more information about MOHO please visit the website at www.mohochocolate.com .