Sweets and Snacks Confidential

Some of my former “Big Law” colleagues tell me they’re jealous that since I left the practice of law years ago, now instead of going to Bar Association conferences, I go to conventions called the Sweets and Snacks Expo and the Fancy Food Show!

Chocolate makers, confectioners, and chefs exhibit their latest offerings at these delicious conferences, and store buyers, media, and others show up to see and sample what’s new. There are also educational sessions, awards, and parties, as thousands of people from the industry come together.

I’m headed to the summer Fancy Food Show in New York this week, and am thrilled to report on this spring’s Sweets and Snacks Expo here. SSE was again held in sweet home Chicago, and it was filled with wonderful old friends, exciting new friends, and a particular encounter with Big Chocolate that perhaps shouldn’t have surprised me but did. Keep scrolling for:

     Chocolatey Reunions,

     Sweet New Friends, and 

     Oh Dear.

Chocolatey Reunions

New Chocolate Friends

Oh Dear

Have you heard about the Chocolate Freedom Walk that I’m creating, to raise public awareness of child slave labor on West African cocoa farms and to promote fair trade alternatives? I talked about it with three members of the Hershey’s corporate relations team at the Sweets and Snacks Expo, and their response surprised me.

You see, I wanted to give Hershey’s and other large commercial chocolate brands the opportunity to share a press release or other communication about steps they are taking toward sustainability and developing ethical chocolate supply chain sources, as it’s well known in the chocolate world that 60% of the world’s chocolate is made from cocoa beans from West African farms, where child slave labor occurs.

Instead, the corporate affairs people replied defensively. The team consisted of a man and two women. The man became animated and aggressive, and asked how the artisan fair trade chocolate brands would like it if he protested them. The two women shut down and froze, saying not a single word; not “leaning in.”

Oh dear.

Meanwhile, I’m optimistic about the bigger picture, because everyone wants to know where our food comes from, and we love delicious and healthful chocolate.

And I’ll keep you posted on the Chocolate Freedom Walk!

Chocolate is love, and here’s to the creativity and love that go into America’s favorite flavor: chocolate.

Your friend in chocolate,

Valerie

Valerie Beck

Chocolate Expert, Sweet Speaker, Chocolate Consultant

www.valeriebeckchocolateuplift.com

chocolateuplift@gmail.com

Follow me on instagram or your favorite social media @chocolateuplift.

“Uplift Through Chocolate!”