Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate. The word is music to my ears, while the thing itself – when it is a bittersweet pearl of cocoa, or a spicy hazelnut praline, or again the warm melting heart of a rich gateau – why, no words can describe it! No wonder the famed Azetec Emperor Montezuma drank 50 cups of chocolate a day. No wonder the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus chose the name "Theobroma cacao" or "food of the god" for the glorious tree whose fruit is used to produce nature’s number one aphrodisiac.

It would appear that I am not alone in my passion for the heavenly food. Hundreds of people attended the Chocolate Show here in Paris this weekend. They went to watch the experts prepare chocolate delicacies, to hear lectures on the latest in chocolate-making machinery, or to see the latest chocolate-inspired fashion. But most of all they went to sample an astounding variety of the fine food. Although they did not steal the show, organic and Fair Trade chocolate featured prominently throughout the weekend.

I spoke to Emilie Guerin, a member of Ethiquable, a French Fair Trade company that has a partnership with a cooperative of cocoa producers in the Dominican Republic. Ethiquable, a combination of the words "éthique" and "équitable," French for ethical and fair, was founded in 2003. "Four years ago we started with 8 products," Emilie said. "Now we have 120." They began with coffee and now work with a range of products from orange juice to rice, and, of course, chocolate. But their goals remain the same from one foodstuff to the next: Ethiquable is dedicated to ensuring Fair Trade with farmers in the developing world and respect for the environment.

Emilie explained how the Fair Trade labeling process works. "In conjunction with the FairTtrade Labeling Organization (FLO), Max Havelaar evaluates the costs of production for a given foodstuff," in this case cocoa beans, "and the cost of living for the producers." A minimum price for the beans is determined based on that evaluation. "We as an importer must respect that price at the very least," Emilie said, "but we are free to propose a higher price to the producer if we want." What is more, the minimum price does not vary with the often highly volatile market prices, and so Ethiquable guarantees fair and steady revenues to producers in exchange for their produce.

This system of Fair Trade functions thanks to the reduction of intermediaries and margins. "The price that we offer to the consumer is the same and sometimes less than that of other brands," Emilie said, "because we as importers have smaller margins, and in addition we limit the number of intermediaries." Whenever possible, the full production and packaging processes are completed within the country of origin. Ethiquable transports the finished product to France where it is directly distributed to supermarkets and shops throughout the country.

At Ethiquable, Fair Trade goes hand-in-hand with a deep respect for the environment. For example, in the Dominican Republic they work "with families that have maintained a strong tradition of agriculture, families that cultivate small plots of land." Indeed the cocoa from the cooperative is in the process of being certified as 100% organic. "We are not interested in an industrial model that is impersonal and ultimately unsustainable," said Emilie. "Ours is based on human contact and care for the environment."

With some 30 partnerships in 21 countries, Ethiquable is growing quickly. May they continue to expand, leading the way with other fairtrade groups, to a humane and sustainable system of world trade and consumption.

The Chocolate Show

Ethiquable