Fine&Raw: organic raw chocolate during a recession?

As owner of Fine&Raw, I'm often asked how raw chocolate fairs during a recession. Do people still buy hand - crafted chocolates? Or do they choose Hershey's instead?

It really depends on the type of customer. For many people , this isn't the time to indulge - even if they've been coveting $ 200 sneakers , or a gourmet food. But for others, retail therapy is a viable option. This kind of customer wants to do something small for themselves. They want a little lift, and a Fine&Raw chocolate bar or a little box of bon bons does the trick. It's still cheaper than a cruise to the Caribbean.

Healthy eaters stay loyal to their lifestyle practices - even during tough economic times - and that includes raw food and raw chocolate. They weigh the cost of eating raw chocolate, with its absence of sugar, dairy, pesticides and additives, against the cost of eating cheap chocolate, cheap food and not feeling well. People have become much more savvy about the relationship between their health and the quality of their food, and it affects how they shop.

I'll be talking more about raw chocolate and its health benefits as a Superfood in an upcoming post.

Daniel

Fine&Raw introduces chocolate blog: The Raw Chocolate Wrap

Greetings, and welcome to the launch of The Raw Chocolate Wrap. I'm Daniel Sklaar, founder and chocolatier of Fine & Raw , an organic raw chocolate company based in Brooklyn, New York.

I'm passionate about creating and producing raw chocolate, and that's why I do it. But my journey as raw chocolatier started with my passion for eating all kinds of chocolate. The kinds we grew up on and the kinds we grew to love. I ate everything from Snickers and Kit Kat to Toblerone, and all sorts in between. And I'm sure you can relate - regardless of your personal favorites. Chocolate, after all, is one of those universal foods that so many of us enjoy. Even its smell, touch and appearance gets us imagining the taste of that first bite. I think it's even fair to say that chocolate is always in fashion.

Because we share a curiosity, enthusiasm and love of chocolate, I'm planning to share a whole host of things with you in The Raw Chocolate Wrap. I'll be sharing what's behind my raw creations, new ideas that are in the works, and what's happening in both the raw chocolate and chocolate world at large. I'll also be talking about local food events, since I'm big on community. That's why I'm interested in your questions, comments and musings about any of the things we chat about here. We're a community, and community is built one person at a time, one opinion at a time.

In the next post, I'll be sharing more about myself and my background, so we can get to know each other better.

Possibilities and raw chocolate,
Daniel