What benefits do the Kuapa farmers receive from Divine Chocolate?
Divine is made with cocoa bought from Kuapa Kokoo at the Fair Trade price of $1600/tonne. In addition, Kuapa Kokoo receives a $150 per tonne Fair Trade social premium that is invested into community projects such as building schools, providing clean drinking water, mobile medical clinics and women’s income generations projects. When the world cocoa prices goes above the $1600 per tonne Fair Trade price, we pay the world price, plus the $150 per tonne social premium.

Additionally, a percentage of Divine’s gross sales goes towards producer support and development which Kuapa Kokoo spends on farmer education, and helping to maintain the values and vision of the cooperative as it grows, especially its commitment to democracy.

And as owners the farmers of Kuapa Kokoo receive a percentage of dividend distribution when the company declares a profit. In the UK, Divine Chocolate was able to distribute dividends for the first time in 2007. Divine in the US looks forward to the day when we can follow the lead of our sister company in the UK.

Of equally important but less tangible value, their ownership stake in Divine gives farmers a seat at the table of global trade. Their brand is their voice is the marketplace and allows them to tell their story to consumers and retailers alike.

Why is Divine not organic?
At present, there is no national program for organic certification of cocoa in Ghana. Cocoa is very prone to disease which can quickly spread and wipe out huge areas of cocoa production. This in turn would seriously endanger the livelihoods of thousands of small-scale cocoa farmers and threatened the larger Ghanaian economy. Until enough testing of organically approved pesticides have been completed in Ghana, introducing organic production is too risky.

It is worth noting that Divine Chocolate is natural product, made with real cocoa butter and real vanilla, Fair Trade sugar and lecithin from GM-free soya.

Why isn’t Divine made in Ghana?
Divine Chocolate’s mission is to improve the livelihoods of cocoa farmers in West Africa. By creating a chocolate brand with significant ownership by farmers, we have created a way for farmers to access the market at the highest point of the value chain and to receive significant financial benefit. Manufacturing in Ghana would not deliver the same benefits to farmers and would introduce additional financial, logistical and environmental challenges for bringing their chocolate to the market in Europe and in the USA.

Is Divine Kosher?
We are presently working with our manufacturing facilities toward Kosher certification

Is Divine gluten-free?
None of the ingredients in Divine contain gluten. However, the bars are produced in a factory which does produce items that contain gluten. We therefore can not certify that our products are gluten-free

Are Divine Chocolate bars suitable for vegans and vegetarians?
All Divine Chocolate bars except the White Chocolate (which contains whey products) are suitable for vegetarians. The Divine Dark Chocolate and the Divine Dark Chocolate with Mint are vegan.

Can I buy Divine Chocolate direct from you?
Divine Chocolate in the US is primarily a wholesale company and at present we do not sell direct to consumers. There are a number of online outlets that sell Divine Chocolate including our partners at A Greater Gift (www.agreatergift.org) as well as a growing network of retailers that stock Divine. You can learn more in the Buy Divine section of the web site.

If you can’t find what you need, please contact us. We are happy to help.

Wholesalers and Retailers can buy direct by contacting us at 1-877-332-8913 or emailing us for wholesale pricing. Learn more about stocking Divine here.

Does Divine Chocolate offer chocolate for fundraisers?
We make bulk pricing and shipping of chocolate available for qualified organizations such as schools, churches and community groups that are looking to sell Divine Chocolate for fundraisers. Email us to get more information.

Can I buy Divine Chocolate in Canada?
We currently sell Divine Chocolate through Ten Thousand Villages stores in Canada and have limited distribution into other retailers. When we have more widespread distribution in Canada we will post information in the Buy Divine section.

If your question is not answered here please email us at info@divinechocolateusa.com