To me “buying local”, means Matt, the Marine-turned-farmer who sells me my eggs. For us New Englanders, we have an abundance of local farms and a very strong food culture. Vegetables, dairy, meat – those are easy to get local. Chocolate, however, is more difficult. Cacao doesn’t exactly grow down the street or even in the next town. Not even close.
But that doesn’t mean cacao cannot fit some of the criteria for buying local. Buying local is knowing your farmer, knowing the story of your food. Ok, you will probably not have a personal relationship with your cacao grower, but you can learn about the origins of the chocolate you are eating. Most of the chocolatiers in our area are more than happy to share the stories of their suppliers. Just ask.
We can better appreciate food when we know where it comes from.To me, the Tikal blend tastes a little bit better knowing that we are one of the few recipients in the US of Carlos’ Guatemalan beans. But even more so than appreciation, knowing the story of our food is ultimately the story of people. It is human connection. And these stories, these links, can extend beyond the geographical “local” food system and into the remote, tropical cacao regions.
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