We've got a sweet, on-location interview for you in this installment of The Real Brian Show! From the factory of Nuance Chocolate we hear the sound of delectable chocolate being made... in one of the most honorable ways you can imagine. Brian got the opportunity to talk with Toby Gadd, the co-founder and co-owner of Nuance Chocolate, a Fort Collins-based chocolate factory.
In This Episode
- Welcome Toby!
- How did Toby get started? Where did Nuance Chocolate come from?
- A little on where the beans come from and how they're ethically acquired
- An audible tour of the factory
Nuance Chocolate
An infatuation with chocolate which began in Costa Rica after visiting a chocolate museum, Toby and Alix Gadd decided to launch their own, rather rare, bean-to-bar enterprise. What's better, they're both committed to making this world a better place... which means they commit their business to purchasing the ingredients that they use in their factory in a fully ethical way.
Fully ethical? What does that even mean? I'm not just talking about a legal methodology of obtaining ingredients, but the actual examination of the process by which ingredients are cultivated and acquired. In order to reduce labor and/or production costs, all manner of approaches are taken by the entities which produce the ingredients necessary for a company to do what they do. Nuance Chocolate goes the extra mile to ensure that they are not enabling distributors from engaging in unethical behavior by purchasing only from sellers who also strive to make this world a better place.
Every day we make a lot of decisions about what and where to buy the things we need. The more we know about the means a company undergoes to obtain the products they provide to us, the more it influences us as to whether or not we continue to buy from them. In American capitalist society, we have both the privilege and the duty to influence companies with our dollars. If you remember the Nike labor abuse scandal from about five years ago, you'll know that sooner or later the truth will come out.
Support good chocolate and good business practices by checking out Nuance's brand-new online store!
How Do I know?
Thanks to the internet, there is little we can't figure out about companies these days. However, it is the internet... how do I know if what I'm reading is a bunch of garbage or fear-mongoring versus the real thing?
There are a couple fantastic resources out there for you to do some simple fact checking. Here are a few to get you started:
- Good Guide (app available which allows you to scan barcodes)
- Free2Work
- Shop Ethical! (app for Android and iOs)