Here at Goodness Foods we are committed to finding products that are produced by ethical companies. To help you get a feel for the kind of businesses we work with, we have compiled a collection of articles about them for you. We currently have articles on the following companies:
Aconbury, BioD, Booja Booja, Ecozone, Equal Exchange, Microrganics, Montezuma's, Mrs Crimble's, Qi tea, Beanies, Ubuntu Cola, Forest Foods, The Organic Collection
Conscious Chocolate
Emma Jackson talks to Goodness about her budding business; Conscious chocolate.
Conscious chocolate is a very small company and the bars have been on sale for less than two years. It is very much a cottage industry still. All the bars are handmade and then hand wrapped. In the beginning I was hand cutting all the packaging and then stamping on the flavours. We have moved on from there and will continue to do so. I now have a unit (a converted stable) next door to my home (another converted stable) on a farm in rural East Sussex where I make the chocolate and employees wrap it. This is a far cry from making it in my kitchen at home.
Thinking about how I became a chocolatier makes me remember early experiences of working in kitchens and restaurants (which I did to support my education). While working as a waitress I learned to respect customers needs. Often customers were disappointed that their dietary concerns could not be met by the kitchen staff or menus. Gradually I became more interested in health, nutrition and the sourcing of natural ingredients. I was becoming very aware of how few health requirements are catered for in the food industry.
My father was a gymnast and trampolinist and now coaches. My mother has always kept fit. Being healthy and exercising has always been an integral part of my life. In the 1990's I found Iyengar yoga. I fell in love with the discipline, philosophy and challenge of this form of yoga. I worked with Iyengar yoga teachers in India and travelled extensively before returning to England. In 2005 I finally qualified as an Iyengar yoga teacher. Around the same time as discovering Iyengar yoga I was working part time as a cook in a busy and thriving vegetarian and vegan restaurant in Bath. Good food and yoga seemed to go hand in hand and I gradually got more excited and interested in raw and living foods. When I was first introduced to raw cacao, I just had to get in the kitchen and make some chocolate that I would be happy to eat. At first I experimented with the nibs and made cookies and truffles with a sauce to dip them in. I tried these delights out at several festivals and markets finding that the sauce was everyone's favourite. I turned the sauce in to the bar.
My vision was to create a luxurious chocolate full of health and goodness that could be eaten and enjoyed by everyone, regardless of dietary requirements. I wanted a chocolate bar that would be healthy and taste fantastic. Healthy food should taste great. My suppliers all source fairly traded ingredients and have organic certifications; I have a lovely relationship with them. The most challenging part of the process has been developing packaging that is compatible with the fair trade and environmentally friendly ethos of the company; this is an ongoing process. For me the most enjoyable part of being a chocolatier has to be in experimenting and creating new flavours.
