Christmas chocolatiers go green

Ethical chocolate company Green & Black's has devised an innovative new way to raise its socially responsible profile in the confectionery industry with a unique Christmas concept.

The company, which produces fair trade and organic chocolate, has launched what it calls 'the ultimate advent calendar', worth £30,000 (€44,734), in order to publicise its 'green' credentials.

With ethics increasingly creeping into consumer choices, companies are striving to keep up with the trend and promote a more environmentally and socially aware side to their business.

Green & Black's, which is the UK's leading ethical chocolate brand, has created a four foot tall, wooden tree-shaped advent calendar.

Hidden within the oak and walnut wood structure are 24 drawers and compartments containing 15 organic own-branded Green & Black's chocolate bars and nine specially created products.

The bespoke chocolates include mini chocolate Christmas Puddings and chocolate dipped marzipan squares.

Green & Black's source their cocoa from an organic farming co-operative in Belize and are now the UK's leading supplier of organic chocolate.

Market researchers Leatherhead International report that the UK organic chocolate market is the largest in the EU with sales of $35m (€27.3m) in 2005.

The company said in a statement: "Each year, around this time, people often phone to ask us if we make chocolate advent calendars. This year we decided to look into creating one but as with most of our products, we added a twist. Instead of making lots of calendars, we have created the ultimate Advent Calendar."

The calendar will be on display in prestigious UK department store Harrod's throughout November, the proceeds from its sale will go to Green & Black's Maya Gold project which helps cocoa growers in Belize.