A note about prices: Extreme weather driven by climate change has caused a 30% reduction in the yield of cacao in West Africa, and this has caused cacao prices to more than triple globally, including in Ecuador (for example, see this link). For now, the only prices I have changed are a small increase for bulk nibs and bulk cacao/chocolate, but depending on the market conditions there may have to be a future increase in other prices as well. I will send out an email if pricing changes more broadly. Thank you all, and do whatever you can for climate activism. The climate crisis is now.
A note about heavy metals: There have been a number of recent news stories in the US press about high cadmium levels in some chocolate. Cadmium is ubiquitous in the environment and is present in low levels in many foods and all dark chocolate. Because it is ubiquitous in the environment, our bodies safely process low levels of cadmium. Luckily, cadmium levels at Finca Sueños, Hector and Magda’s farm, and other Nueva Esperanza farms have been tested and are between 0.25-0.55mg/kg, which is substantially below the European Union limit of 0.8mg/kg (see explanation at this link). I refer to the EU standards because the FDA has not established similar guidelines, and the EU is almost always stricter about food safety regulations than US agencies.
