When people think of Aero, Kit Kat, and Snickers, they immediately associate with chocolate and happiness. Claudia Pisarek wrote an article about how Divine Chocolate  buys cocoa at a fair, stable price from the farmers. In reality, cocoa prices are volatile, and Divine is working to give fair wages and support to the farmers while educating them on business opportunities through involvement in the company and community.

This intrigues me, as I am very interested in traveling abroad and participating in social entrepreneurship opportunities, learning about services such as micro finance. Divine mostly operates in West Africa, working towards:

-increased power and representation within the market for the farmers

-social, economic and political empowerment

-enhanced women’s participation in all its affairs

-environmentally sustainable production processes

This organization reminds of Sauder’s Arc Initiative; the organization is going into a foreign, third-world country, and teaching basic stills and techniques for locals to operate successful businesses. This is a field that is both rewarding and eye-opening, and one in which I would thoroughly enjoy the experience and the opportunity to make a difference. With all the inntiatives at UBC like the Arc Initiative and Social Entrepreneurship 101, it is good to see external companies embody responsible purchasing.