Tickle Your Taste Buds While Taking Care of Mother Earth: Seattle Chocolate Company is Now Shipping Bars Crafted with Rainforest Alliance Certified™ Cocoa

SEATTLE, June 26, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Seattle Chocolate Company is committed to producing chocolate bars with Rainforest Alliance Certified™ cocoa, sharing in the global fight against unjust child labor practices, the protection and preservation of our environment and the economic betterment of farmers and their communities. Today, the company is pleased to share that the bars featuring the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal are now available at retail.

"Today we are formally doing our part to better the lives of those growing and producing the cocoa we use to create Seattle Chocolates," explains Seattle Chocolate Company owner and CEO Jean Thompson. "Rainforest Alliance certification has a comprehensive and proven approach to addressing the social, environmental and economic challenges faced by farmers and their communities."

The Rainforest Alliance is an international nonprofit organization that works to conserve biodiversity and promote the rights and well-being of workers, their families and communities. Over 80 different crops are grown on Rainforest Alliance Certified farms, including cocoa, coffee and tea. Certification helps ensure safe working conditions, dignified housing and medical care for farm workers, and access to schools for their children. Certified farms often experience increased yields and efficiencies through improved farm management, and as part of the standard for certification, ecosystems—including wildlife habitat, water and soil—are protected.

"10 percent of the world's cacao is already grown on Rainforest Alliance Certified farms," said Tensie Whelan, President of the Rainforest Alliance. "By promoting Rainforest Alliance certification, companies like Seattle Chocolate Company are paving the way to a more sustainable future, improving the quality of life for cocoa farming families while helping to conserve natural resources."

"When searching for a certification for our chocolate the rights and welfare of farmers and their families was paramount to us," continues Jean. "In addition to addressing economic and environmental issues, the standard for Rainforest Alliance certification strictly prohibits forced labor and the employment of children under the age of 15, and helps to ensure that the children of farm workers have improved access to education."

The Seattle Chocolates bars using cocoa from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms are hitting shelves today, and will soon be widely available everywhere Seattle Chocolates are sold. These bars proudly display the Rainforest Alliance certification seal.

In addition to sourcing cocoa from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms, all of Seattle Chocolate Company products are 100% natural and certified Kosher. Seattle Chocolate Company has also made the switch away from palm kernel oil, the harvesting of which is a major contributor to global deforestation, and now uses only sustainable coconut oil for their signature smooth meltaway texture. To learn more about Seattle Chocolate Company and its products, please visit www.seattlechocolates.com and www.jcocochocolate.com.

About Seattle Chocolate Company
Creating our first chocolate in 1991, Seattle Chocolate Company, a certified women's business enterprise, now offers a full line of premium chocolates that includes Seattle Chocolates truffle bars, award-winning Seattle Chocolates truffles, jcoco bars, and a selection of seasonal and special occasion product offerings. Known for fresh, approachable flavor-combinations and using only the finest ingredients, our small and mighty company is owned and led by CEO Jean Thompson, a self-proclaimed chocoholic. We take pride in responsible sourcing and use Rainforest Alliance Certified™ cocoa in our core line of bars, as well as moving toward 100% non-GMO ingredients in our products. All of our chocolate is all-natural, certified Kosher and available at retailers nationwide. We support non-profit organizations focused on ending hunger here in America. To learn more about our company, our chocolates and our giving philosophy, visit www.seattlechocolates.com.

About the Rainforest Alliance
The Rainforest Alliance is a global nonprofit that works with people whose livelihoods depend on the land, helping them transform the way they grow food, harvest wood and host travelers. From large multinational corporations to small, community-based cooperatives, businesses and consumers worldwide are involved in the Rainforest Alliance's efforts to bring responsibly produced goods and services to a global marketplace where the demand for sustainability is growing steadily. For more information, visit www.rainforest-alliance.org.

SOURCE Seattle Chocolate Company