What does “direct trade” or “transparent trade” mean? Chequessett Chocolate makes bean-to-bar chocolate that is equally delicious and fairly produced. When we describe our chocolate as “direct trade,” we refer to the process of buying cacao beans from farmers. Direct trade, as opposed to conventional sourcing, means that we work directly with producers to obtain cacao for a price that works for both parties.

Beyond costs, the direct trade process entails detailed discussions of labor and environmental practices. Instead of relying on middlemen to do the buying, like most large chocolate operations, we are able to cultivate long-term relationships with the farmers who actually grow the cacao used in our chocolate.

Although direct trade sounds confusingly similar to fair trade, another label describing how chocolate is sourced, direct trade is crucially different. Fair trade is a certification that producers pay a fee to receive. The producer uses this certification to assure buyers that they follow a certain code of labor practices. While fair trade certifications are certainly important, direct trade facilitates durable, honest relationships with the producer. Through the direct trade process, we are able to determine fair prices with the farms and continuously discuss labor and environmental practices.