Our Environmental & Social Commitment

• Fairtrade 
• Local & Sustainable 
• Environmentally Friendly Packaging 
• Social Responsibility

Fairtrade. At Delight we are Fairtrade certified, committed to purchasing exclusively Fairtrade chocolate, sugar, coffee from Central America and other ingredients since we began making chocolates in 2003. 

There are several reasons why being Fairtrade certified is so important to us. 

1. The Environment. At the heart of Fairtrade are the long-term relationships that have been built with small-scale family farmers and organizations. Unlike large Scale Industrial farming, small scale Fairtrade family farming largely employes regenerative and organic agricultural techniques that preserve biodiversity, relying on natural pest control rather that chemical pesticides.  
2. Rainforest Protection. Shade Grown Agricultural techniques often go hand in hand with regenerative and organic agricultural techniques. This means that cocoa crops are intermixed with other shade grown crops, such as coffee or other fruit crops that can help sustain the livelihood of the farmers and preserve the diversification of the rain forests. Large scale industrial Cocoa farming on the other hand, typical in such places as the Ivory Coast, will clear cut huge areas of rainforest and plant a monoculture of Cocoa plants, leading to, soil degradation, habitat loss for birds and animals and ultimately greatly reducing the rain forest's ability to naturally absorb carbon in the atmosphere. 

Local & Sustainable 

Since we opened our doors in 2007 we began fostering relationships with local, sustainable farmers that we still maintain to this day. In 2007 it was much easier to find local sustainable farmers through a now defunct organization called Local Food Plus (L.F.P.). This organization was fantastic as not only did they work with framers to find natural was of dealing with pest control and other and other challenges with crop management, but they also ensured the fair treatment of migrant workers on LFP certified farms (of which there are many in Ontario), as well as the human treatment of any farm animals in addition to guaranteeing that at least 10% of the farmland was naturalized in order to protect the habitat of local wildlife. There were many more sustainable and ethical aspects to this organization and while it is a shame they are no more, we have managed to continue to work exclusively with the same farmers who continue to adhere to the principles of LFP to this day. They include Richardsons Farm in Dunnville for Strawberries, Warner’s Farm in Beamsville for Stone Fruits and Barrie Hill Farms in Barrie for more Strawberries, Blueberries and Raspberries. 

We use these local, sustainable fruits to make jam which becomes the base for our Ice Cream, Chocolate fillings and our pate de Fruit. 

Environmentally Friendly Packaging.

1. For years we dreamt of an all-paper chocolate box with paper dividers instead of the common place plastic trays. We are so proud to have introduced last year our own custom-made chocolate box which is both elegant and recyclable. 
2. For all of our Chocolate Bark, Chocolate Lollie's and seasonal chocolate items we use a plant-based alternative to plastic cello bags that is biodegradable and is also FDA approved for use for direct food contact. 
3. Our single serving Ice Cream containers and spoons are both compostable and made from plant-based PLA (polylactic acid) materials. 

Social Responsibility

Since we opened our doors in 2007 we have made it a priority to use A-way Express for local deliveries wherever possible. A-Way is no ordinary courier company.  It was founded in 1987 by people with lived experience of mental health issues specifically to provide meaningful work for all survivors. As well as employment, structure and income it provides community and support, replacing isolation.