HERSHEY, Pa., March 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/
-- Dagoba® Organic Chocolate today announced
that their complete line of USDA Certified Organic chocolate
products is now being made with cacao beans from Rainforest
Alliance Certified™ farms; reinforcing the company's commitment to
follow sustainable practices.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120307/NY65000LOGO)
By mid-year consumers will be able to purchase Dagoba
Organic Chocolate products that bear the Rainforest Alliance
Certified seal. The seal indicates that the cacao beans were
grown on sustainably managed farms that protect forests, rivers,
soils and wildlife, while being good community neighbors.
Rainforest Alliance certification also ensures that workers have
safe working conditions, just wages, dignified housing and access
to education for their children.
"The Dagoba brand takes unparalleled measures to ensure
cacao farms are following the highest quality standards to produce
the best certified organic cacao in the world," said Ray Major, who leads the cacao development and
sourcing for Dagoba Organic Chocolate. "Working with the
Rainforest Alliance, whose certification has the strongest voice in
the area of environmental stewardship, ensures that these efforts
are sustainable over the long term."
Dagoba Organic Chocolate works closely with
cacao-producing communities in Tanzania, Dominican
Republic and Peru, to help
individual farmers achieve Rainforest Alliance certification before
purchasing the cacao to blend for the company's chocolate
products.
One specific example occurred in 2011 when more than 20,000
farmers in Kyela, Tanzania were
certified at the request of Dagoba Organic Chocolate in one
of the single largest group certifications. Separately,
Dagoba Organic Chocolate also maintains a longstanding
relationship with the Rainforest Alliance Certified Finca Elvesia
farm in the Dominican Republic.
The company supports the farm's social and ecological well-being
through projects ranging from farming workshops to renewable energy
initiatives. Finally, since 2010, Dagoba Organic Chocolate
has been helping to optimize the fermentation practices in
San Juan de Cheni, Peru, a small cacao-farming community
consisting of 46 families. By creating a new, expanded nursery that
provides seedlings to farmers and breaking ground on a central
fermentation facility, the Dagoba brand will be able to
secure a sustainable supply of high quality organic cacao that is
consistent with the company's values.
"Through Rainforest Alliance certification, farmers learn to
better manage their farms, adopting sustainable practices that
improve efficiency, reduce costs and often help to improve crop
quality," said Tensie Whelan,
president of the Rainforest Alliance. "By sourcing cacao from
Rainforest Alliance Certified farms, the Dagoba brand is
helping to support a healthier planet, while providing consumers
with sustainable, high quality products."
"By using Rainforest Alliance Certified cacao, Dagoba
Organic Chocolate fans can expect a taste that is brighter, cleaner
and more balanced compared with current Dagoba chocolates,"
added Major.
Dagoba Organic Chocolate is available at select mass and
specialty retailers nationwide, as well as online at
www.DagobaChocolate.com. For more information about Dagoba
Organic Chocolate please visit www.DagobaChocolate.com and the
Dagoba Organic Chocolate page on Facebook.
About Dagoba Organic Chocolate
Dagoba® Organic Chocolate was established in 2001
in Ashland, Oregon with a mission
to create the finest organic chocolate that is rooted in
responsible practices. Dagoba chocolate is USDA Certified
Organic, made with cacao beans from Rainforest Alliance Certified™
farms, Kosher OU certified and gluten free. The product line
includes twelve pure and exotic chocolate bars, four organic
drinking chocolates and a range of home baking products.
Dagoba Organic Chocolate is available at select mass and
specialty retailers nationwide, as well as online at
www.DagobaChocolate.com and www.Amazon.com. Dagoba Organic
Chocolate is part of the Artisan Confections Company, a wholly
owned subsidiary of The Hershey Company. For more information
please visit www.DagobaChocolate.com.
About The Hershey Company
The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) is the largest producer of
quality chocolate in North America
and a global leader in chocolate and sugar confectionery.
Headquartered in Hershey, Pa., The
Hershey Company has operations throughout the world and more than
12,000 employees. With revenues of nearly $6
billion, Hershey offers confectionery products under more
than 25 brand names, including such iconic brands
as Hershey's, Reese's, Hershey's Kisses, Hershey's Bliss, Hershey's
Special Dark, Kit Kat, Twizzlers,
and Ice Breakers. Hershey also offers premium and
artisan chocolate products under such brands as Scharffen
Berger and Dagoba through the Artisan
Confections Company, a wholly owned subsidiary. The company is
focused on growing its presence in key international markets such
as China and Mexico while continuing to build its
competitive advantage in the United
States and Canada.
For more than 100 years, The Hershey Company has been a leader
in making a positive difference in the communities where its
employees live, work and do business. Corporate Social
Responsibility is an integral part of the company's global business
strategy, which includes goals and priorities focused on fair and
ethical business dealings, environmental stewardship, fostering a
desirable workplace for employees, and positively impacting society
and local communities. Milton Hershey
School, established in 1909 by the company's founder and
administered by Hershey Trust Company, provides a quality
education, housing, and medical care at no cost to children in
social and financial need. Students of Milton Hershey School are direct beneficiaries
of The Hershey Company's success.
About the Rainforest Alliance
The Rainforest Alliance works with people whose livelihoods
depend on the land, helping them transform the way they grow food,
harvest wood and host travelers. From large multinational
corporations to small, community-based cooperatives, businesses and
consumers worldwide are involved in the Rainforest Alliance's
efforts to bring responsibly produced goods and services to a
global marketplace where the demand for sustainability is growing
steadily. For more information, visit
www.Rainforest-Alliance.org.
Anna Lingeris
Dagoba Organic Chocolate
alingeris@hersheys.com
(717) 534-4874
Laura Giannatempo
RF|Binder Partners, Inc.
laura.giannatempo@rfbinder.com
(212) 994-7543
SOURCE Dagoba Organic Chocolate