> [!NOTE]+ Meta > Author:: Spencer Hyman > Reference:: https://cocoarunners.com/2022/04/how-to-ensure-cocoa-farmers-are-properly-paid-blog/ > Date:: 2023-05-05 > Tags:: #food > WeftLinks:: [[Economic value of craft]] > Claim:: [[Claim - Craft provides a livelihood with dignity through market access]] > [!SUMMARY] Summary >Craft chocolate increases appreciation of the commodity and facilitates fairer wages for its producers. ### Highlights Cacao producers are in an extremely vulnerable and precarious position in the global chocolate supply chain - often, they are paid barely enough to live on, despite being essential to the global chocolate industry. The argument here: we need to stop treating cocoa as a commodity ingredient. The craft approach to cocoa treasures chocolate for its diversity and variety of flavours, and compensates farmers fairly. Craft chocolate represents an opportunity to address economic inequities in the global chocolate industry (where terrible human rights abuses including child slavery and forced labour still take place). Craft chocolate celebrates the diversity of flavours and aromas inherent in cocoa production. It is a endorsement of the skills of artisanal chocolate makers who work in smaller batches. Unlike mass-produced chocolate, these makers do not engineer their chocolate to taste the same. This entails a change in attitude from chocolate consumers - to savour the variety and complexity of craft chocolate instead of the monotonous tastes of mass-produced chocolate. In summary, the craft approach to chocolate: - results in consumers enjoying and savouring better chocolate - farmers getting a better, fairer wage - provides self-determination and autonomy for artisanal makers, moving the profits away from exploitative, industrial chocolate makers See also: [Sizing the craft chocolate market](https://www.chocolateinstitute.org/post/sizing-the-craft-chocolate-market)