Off trail: A way to feel good about eating chocolate
Brett French
OFF-TRAIL

Many times I've stopped for a snack while hiking or hunting, reached into my daypack to grab the Snickers bar I stashed, only to find it squashed and melted.

Sometimes, to make matters worse, the wrapping has burst, and I've got chocolate smeared everywhere.

Now, I don't have to worry about that. There's a relatively new chocolate snack on the market that not only doesn't melt, but satisfies my social conscience as well as my sweet tooth.

Yachana Gourmet's Jungle Chocolates come in four mixtures that use real cacao beans. That's why the chocolate doesn't melt. Think trail mix with crunchy chocolate.

The beans are fermented, sun dried, toasted and cracked into small pieces called nibs and then lightly sweetened with sugar cane syrup. They're similar to a chocolate covered coffee bean in taste and texture. But they're dairy free - no milk, lecithin or any of those other additives.

"The (chocolate) nibs grew out of practicality," Charlie Conner, Yachana's sales and marketing manager, said in a telephone interview. "We're in the middle of a hot jungle."

Jungle chocolate

That's the other neat part about Yachana chocolates, they come from the Amazon jungle. What's more, the money raised from chocolate sales goes back into the Ecuadorean jungle economy where the cacao is grown.

Conner estimated the company directly helps 1,200 small family farmers. The typical family is about eight people, so the company's reach is pretty dramatic.

Money raised through sales also goes to protect the rain forest. So far, the company has been able to preserve 3,600 acres of land, Conner said.

Yachana is a branch of FUNEDESIN, the Foundation for Integrated Education and Development. FUNEDESIN was founded by Kentucky expatriate Douglas McMeekin. Under the organization, McMeekin built the Yachana Lodge in 1994 for eco-tourists and to create jobs for locals. FUNEDESIN also established a health clinic for the 8,000 people who live along the Napo River in the Ecuadorean Amazon.

Yachana Gourmet was founded in 2000, initially to create jams from locally grown fruits. When that idea didn't take off, they switched to the chocolates. In its first year, the business made $45,000. But by the second year, that was doubled and Conner said he hopes to see sales jump three-to-four-fold this year.

While helping the natives, Yachana is also working toward making FUNEDESIN self-supporting.

"We can't live off donations forever," Conner said. "In a couple of years, we hope to be 100 percent self-sustaining."

The magical fruit

Cacao beans are a shade-grown crop, so no forest needs be cleared for planting. According to Yachana's Web site, cacao is native to the Amazon Basin and has been cultivated by the inhabitants of the Ecuadorean rain forest for 40 years.

After harvest, a season that runs from March through July, beans are transported by canoe down the Napo River to the town of Agua Santa .

Since Yachana buys direct from the farmers, they earn a Fair Trade price. There's no middleman.

After being dried and roasted at Agua Santa, the cracked cacao beans are transported to Yachana's production facility in Quito , Ecuador 's capital city, where the nibs are mixed with other natural ingredients. They come in four mixtures - pineapple, macadamia nut, coconut with raisins and Brazil nut with a dash of coffee.

Taste test

The Brazil nuts and coffee mixture is a tasty way to start the day. It's not a strong coffee taste, just a hint with a sweet aftertaste. The pineapple mix is the sweetest, although also a bit tart. The raisin and coconut mixture would be a great trail snack, a good energy booster. The macadamia nuts had the strongest roasted flavor.

A little bit of the snack goes a long way. It's much more filling than a chocolate bar.

The snacks can be purchased on the Internet at www.yachanagourmet.com . The cost is a bit pricey - $14.95 for six two-ounce bags. A variety pack of two each costs $19.95.

But it's worthwhile considering that no other chocolate snack helps the rain forest and its people.

"This really is a product that can make a difference," Conner said.

As a side benefit, it's nice to feel good about eating chocolate, instead of feeling guilty.

Brett French can be reached at french@billingsgazette.com .

Web link to article -

http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?display=rednews/2004/03/18/build/outdoors/33-offtrail-french.inc