If a picture is worth a thousand words, then I would argue that a good bar of chocolate is worth a thousand love letters. On the 14th of this month, many will substitute writing sweet notes with giving sweet treats. But which chocolate to choose? And why?

Here's the low down on chocolate, and how you can help save the world (or parts of it at least) by the chocolates you choose. 

Choose shade-grown and give your sweetheart a rainforest 

The great flavor of chocolate comes from the beans of cacao plants (click here for more background from our chocolate page). More than two thirds of the world's cacao beans are grown in western Africa, with the majority of the rest coming from Indonesia and the northern countries of South America. In these tropical regions, the cacao plants have historically grown in the shade of the rainforest canopy. But when chocolate production grew to global proportions, so did the cultivation of the cacao plants. In order to supply the demand, the rainforests, which have the greatest biological diversity of plants and wildlife, were replaced with monoculture landscapes solely planted with cacao plants.

Not all chocolate is sourced from these plantations, in fact many chocolates are certified "shade-grown" - which is the sweetest gift you could give your sweetheart (a safe and protected rainforest). Buy shade-grown chocolate and support the movement for sustainable chocolate production.

Please care about fair

Another important chocolate attribute is how it's beans were traded. Many workers in the cacao growing industry are not treated fairly and do not make livable wages. In an effort to improve the working conditions and wages of those in the cacao industry, we support and promote chocolate producers that are third-party certified as "fair trade" - your chocolate dollars will go to improving the conditions and wages of the great people who make great chocolate possible.

Here are a few of our favorite chocolate makers to look out for...

Dagoba Organic Chocolates

Endangered Species Chocolate

Scharffen Berger Chocolates