Chocolate. The very word conjures feelings of pleasure, indulgence, and the richness of life. The very name of the cacao tree, Theobroma (translation, “Food of the Gods”), speaks volumes about the depth of our feelings for chocolate. The fact is even with all that adoration, the average chocolate-lover is in the dark with it comes to the history of chocolate. That there are ethical questions one should ask in order to make an informed and empowered choice when purchasing a chocolate bar.

It’s hard to pin down exactly when chocolate was discovered, but it is clear that it was cherished from the start. Mayan peasants ground down cocoa beans to make a very bitter drink, named xocoatl, which only the very privileged eventually had access to. Then when Isabelle and Ferdinand attempted and decimate the Mayan culture, they discovered the valuable beans and kept them as a treasured luxury for Spain’s wealthy and elite. According to some accounts, thanks to a crafty Catholic monk who snuck out of Spain with the coveted beans the British royal court got a taste of chocolate goodness, and the bittersweet cycle of elite indulgence began all over again.

Of course as colonization swept the planet, pristine forests were clear-cut to feed the growing demand for cacao. Humans were placed in bondage to slavery in order to grow and harvest cacao crops. It is clear that recent public and political awareness of slavery and unsustainable farming techniques has moved the government and chocolate industry to action, but we still have a long way to go.

This is the time in history, RIGHT NOW, to reach out and make a difference. Understand the consequences of the your actions, including the purchases you make including chocolate. It matters. Look around, people all over the world are ready for change: from the Arab Spring to Russians in the streets protesting to our own Occupy Wall Street movement right here in the good old USA. Together we can make a positive change. In our case, change comes one sweet bite of chocolate at a time.