All-One All-熟食店cious Chocolate: A Love Letter to Dr. 布朗的

我是一个顽固分子 Dr. 布朗的 粉丝. 就像, 如此如此, that if I go to stay the night at a friend’s house, or am planning a trip somewhere, and I forget my little mini Dr. 布朗纳的卡斯蒂利亚肥皂, I will find the nearest co-op or pharmacy to buy one, even if it means I’m stocking up on another 32oz bottle that I’ll have to lug around. For me, there really is no substitute.

So, when I found out that my favorite soap brand (let’s be honest, 最喜欢的品牌, period) was making chocolate, I couldn’t help but be stoked, albeit surprised by the unexpected pivot from shower to pantry. But once I dug more into the “why” behind Dr. 布朗的 chocolatey endeavor, all the puzzle pieces came together, and it made me love them even more.

If you’re not familiar with Dr. 布朗的, aside from making some of the best soap, their whole business is centered around what they call their Cosmic Principles. The 6 principles include working hard, doing right by customers, treating employees like family, being fair to suppliers, treating the earth like home, and funding and fighting for what’s right. And these aren’t just some lofty, fluffy, corporate goals to appease stakeholders.

Dr. 布朗的 follows through on their principles, and oftentimes are quite unapologetic about fighting for the causes they believe in. Just take a look at their website, 社交媒体, or even the label itself and I think you’ll agree that they don’t just talk the talk, 但他们会付诸行动, 太.

Their newest line of chocolate bars is just another vehicle for them to promote real, impactful change in not only the conventionally destructive methods of cacao and palm oil farming, but in the lives of farmers, 太. Clearly, I wasn’t the only one excited, but confused about the chocolate pivot, considering Dr. 布朗的 published a blog post about why they’re making chocolate in the first place.

在邮局, they quickly clear up the “why” by explaining that their move to make chocolate is about so much more than just making a tasty, 含糖量低, 素食甜点. In fact, the move dates back to 2009, when Dr. 布朗的 helped establish the world’s first certified organic and fair-trade palm oil project in Ghana called Serendipalm.

You’re likely aware of palm oil plantations’ nasty reputation for 森林砍伐 and the subsequent destruction of endangered orangutan habitats. By establishing this palm oil project, Dr. 布朗的 was able to help provide around 800 farmers with the resources they needed to move away from conventional farming methods that involved toxic pesticides and led to soil degradation and a heavy carbon footprint. After establishing these dynamic agroforestry practices, Dr. 布朗的 太k the momentum they’d built to turn their attention to another commonly destructive industry: chocolate.

多年来, the chocolate industry has made a profit at the cost of child labor, 森林砍伐, 剥削工人, 甚至是奴隶制. 幸运的是, Fair Trade chocolate is becoming easier to find, thanks in a large part to chocolate cooperatives and concerned consumers. Dr. 布朗的 is now a part of that effort, working directly with farmers by supporting them in transitioning towards regenerative farming practices, while offering them fair, stable wages that allow them to earn an income that’s reliable, regardless of fluctuating market prices.

While supporting a better chocolate industry is reason enough to try Dr. 布朗的 latest concoction, the chocolate itself is pretty darn tasty 太. 目前, we’re carrying their salted dark chocolate, 咸杏仁酱, and smooth coconut praline. If you love a no-frills dark chocolate, the salted bar is the way to go. 但如果你像我一样, and prefer a bit of sweetness and texture with your dark chocolate, the smooth coconut praline is a must-try. It’s so rich and delightful that I’ve been whittling away at it for the last week.

I’ll leave you with this silly anecdote: when I was doing my shopping one day after work, I was looking for a sweet little treat to enjoy on my drive home. It was then that the sparkly glimmer of the word “MAGIC” caught my eye on the bottom shelf of our chocolate aisle. I’m embarrassed to admit just how giddy I got about finding the elusive Dr. 布朗纳巧克力棒, and I’d like to publicly apologize to the sweet couple looking at chocolate bars, that were likely caught off guard by the girl (me) who was 太 excited not to share the news with the closest humans who’d listen.

I hope I wasn’t 太 wild-eyed and excitable. But I can’t help it, I’m a brand loyalist. And if you’re at all as passionate about Dr. 布朗的 soap as I am, I hope you have that same giddy, childlike reaction to their chocolate, 太.