Ons dogter Alana, wat in Christchurch, Nieu-Seeland, bly, bring altyd met kuiers (soos nou weer) vir ons bederf-sjokolade saam, want Nieu-Seeland is ’n groen land met volop weiding – 4,2 miljoen melkkoeie en 12 786 melkplase. Dit maak suiwel die grootste uitvoerbedryf in hierdie klein landjie – room, melk, onoortreflike jogurt, kaas en heerlike sjokolade.
Gister maak ek ’n 100 g-plak met kleurvolle Suideilandvoëls op die karton-omslag oop: “Organic Fairtrade Chocolate”, sê die bruin letters. “Pure dark chocolate with 75% cocoa”, beskryf dit verder.
Maar dis toe ek die verpakking oopvou, dat die storietjie aan die binnekant my tref: “In addition to cocoa, farmers in the Acopagro Cooperative in Peru also plant timber trees on their cocoa plantations. The sale of the timber trees increases the cocoa farmer’s long-term income. A timber tree stores as much CO2 as created in the production of 1 000 chocolate bars. The timber tree also provides shade, and the deep roots help the soil absorb water and key nutrients. This improves the fertility of the soil and better production.”
