Rainforest Chocolate: November 1-3

What’s not to love about chocolate? Especially now that chocolate is one of our ten best foods. Studies show that Dark chocolate has the highest antioxidant content of any food and has demonstrated heart-protecting benefits. Who knew? Judy Logback knew and she is coming to the Boston area to tell us all about Ecuadorian chocolate.

Chocolate as a “best food” is an easy concept to swallow but do you know that you can contribute to saving the rainforest by encouraging production of Ecuador’s organic chocolate? Well, you can! Fact: The quality of cocoa has been in decline over the last century. Judy Logback understands this; in fact, she understands production of chocolate from bean to bar. The founder of Kallari will take you from the cocoa fields in the rainforest to a chocolate factory in the Andes. Learn how the Kallari varieties of cocoa were rescued by the genetic unraveling of the high quality Forestero variety of Ecuadorian cocoa.

AlliancExchange-sponsored Chocolate Events and Tastings:

• Wednesday, November 1, 2006, 7:00 -9:00 pm
  Roche Bros, 101 Falls Blvd, Quincy, MA
• Thursday, November 2, 2006, 6:00-8:00 pm
  Babson College, 245 Forest St., Wellesley, MA
• Friday, November 3, 2006, 7:00-9:00 pm
  Starbucks, 70 Union St., Piccadilly Square, Newton Centre, MA

Suggested Donation: $40.00: Chocolate samples included. Monies raised from this fundraiser will support economic development projects in Ecuador.

For more information or to register, call 617-628-9297 or go to www.alliancexchange.org.

Kallari is a cooperative that offers economic alternatives to rain forest destruction by oil, gold mining and lumber industries in the indigenous communities of the Napo Province, located within the Ecuadorian Amazon. (www.kallari.com)

The Alliance for Cultural and Economic Exchange (www.alliancexchange.org), host for these events, is a 501(c)3 based in Somerville with economic development and cultural exchange projects in Ecuador.