Baking pre-orders

Be ready for the holiday baking frenzy by stocking your pantry with fair trade chocolate!!!

Open this baking pre-order document to find all the info and pics of Mercy's Organic, Fair Trade baking essentials. You will also find an order form to email to Brigitte@mercyfairtrade.com

 

Thanks for shopping Fair Trade!

Halloween Candy Pre-orders

Responsible consumers choose Fair Trade!

 

Mercy is now taking pre-orders for Halloween candy!

 

Open this Halloween pre-order form to find pictures and info about all our delicious chocolate. You will also find an order form for you to cut & paste in an email to Brigitte@mercyfairtrade.com

Please have your orders in by Saturday, October 5th. Your orders will be ready for pick-up at
 The Shoppes at Brownstone (2408 W. Abram, 76013) on Friday, October 25th, 3-6pm
or Saturday, October 26th, 10-1pm.
 

This is Mercy's first Halloween so all of this is new territory. Please be patient with us as we navigate the best way to get our products to you, the responsible consumer.

 

Thanks for choosing Fair Trade!

the not-so-sweet taste of Halloween chocolate

Fall weather is in the air and that means Halloween will be here before you know it! Time to get the littles' costumes ready, carve those pumpkins, and buy your trick-or-treaters

CANDY, CANDY, CANDY!!!

 

Instead of stocking up on the cheap, unethical, big brand chocolates you find in every store, how about making a responsible consumer purchase...Fair Trade chocolate! Mercy's been working with our artisans to bring you the very best, organic, Fair Trade chocolate for your little trick-or-treaters.

 

Here is why Fair Trade matters...

 

According to Fair Trade International, more than 30 developing countries produce cocoa, providing 14 million people with a livelihood. Around 90% of the cocoa used around the world is sourced from small family farms of less than 5 acres.

 

"More than three-fourths of all the world's cocoa comes from West Africa – but the entire continent of Africa only accounts for about 3 percent of its consumption." (article by CNN Freedom Project)Places like Ghana and the Ivory Coast where 90% of farmers depend on cocoa as their primary source of income are the very places where child slavery abounds.

 

Really...child slavery? Yeah, that will leave a bad taste in your mouth. Hershey's, Mars, Nestle...they are all a part of it...and so are you every time you purchase commercial chocolate.

 

Buying Fair Trade is a vote to end child slavery.

Let me encourage you to make this year a Fair Trade Halloween.

 

Below is the BBC documentary on the Bitter Truth of the cocoa industry.

 

 

 

Child labor, by definition

According to the International Labor Organization in this article by the U.S. Department of Labor, Child labor is defined as all work performed by a person below the age of 18 in the following practices:

(A) all forms of slavery such as the sale and trafficking of children
(B) the use or offering of a child for prostitution or for the production of pornography
(C) the use or offering of a child in the production and trafficking of drugs
(D) work which, by its nature or the circumstances in which it is carried out, is likely to harm the health, safety or morals of children

I could barely breathe reading through the article. People, the simple fact that there is a reason for such a sanction to exist is in itself utterly disturbing. Please do not turn a deaf ear or a blind eye to the terrifying and oppressive reality so many in this world live and die in every day.

The bold truth is that you and I live incredibly comfortable, easy, safe lives with an abundance of resources and money available to us. And on top of it all is freedom. It is our obligation to do our part in the prevention and elimination of injustice...because we can...so we should.

"...loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free..." - Isaiah 58:6

Do your part. Start where you are. Buy fair trade products.

See this list for goods produced using child labor.

More Good Beans

In spite of my delayed posting, I am thrilled to finally introduce to you the ethical artisans at Mama Ganache. Mercy and MG have partnered to bring you the finest organic, fair trade chocolates guaranteed to satisfy your sweet tooth and your conscience. Read here to learn more about MG's philosophy, their work in West Africa called Project Hope and Fairness, and their vision to establish Cocoa Study Centers.

Currently, Mercy carries...

...a variety of dark chocolate barks including chili orange walnut, cherry almond and cranberry ginger. My favorite thing about the barks is that you can break off a little piece (said no one ever) or a big chunk of delicious chocolate laced with all sorts of yummy bits of organic dried fruits and nuts. Can you say flavor explosion? I can't. My mouth is full chocolate.

...the Tastes of Mercy grab bag of vegan, gluten free cups and clusters. Flavors included are peanut butter, coconut, almond, and the caramel crunch cluster. This little party in a bag is great for those adventurous types or for those who like to share (aka suckas!). Personally, I keep one of these stashed for emergencies or, as it's more commonly know in my house, a Mommy time out. Bless it.

Coming soon... baking chips, shards, and cocoa to get you ready for Fall baking!

Teas

Currently carrying Equal Exchange teas (20 individual pouches per box)

Green
Chai
Vanilla Rooibos
Chamomile

Chocolate Menu

These items currently in stock at The Shoppes at Brownstone (see here for extended menu)

Bark (8oz bag) $14
Chili Orange Walnut*
Cherry Almond
Cranberry Ginger

Tastes of Mercy (all Vegan & gluten free) $10
Almond Clusters
Peanut Butter Cups
Coconut Cups
Caramel Clusters

Equal Exchange (3.5oz bars) $6 each
Caramel Crunch Dark with Sea Salt*
Orange Dark
Dark & Almonds
Dark 70%
Milk with hint of Hazelnut

Equal Exchange Unsweetened Dutched Cocoa $12

*house favorites

Coming in the fall...chips, bars and cocoa for all your baking needs! Click on link above for extended menu.

Coffee Menu

Single origin beans and blends currently available...

wb = whole bean         grd = ground

*water processed decaf available by request 1lb. - $16   1/2lb. - $10

			8oz	16oz
Yirgacheffe	spicy and fragrant with notes of citrus	light/med	wb, grd
Breakfast	perfect cup to get your morning going	medium		grd
Guatemala	smooth, nutty, well-balanced	medium	wb, grd
Café Monteverde	superior beans grown in Costa Rican cloud forest, bright, crisp	medium	wb, grd
Moka Java	Moka, Ethiopia and Islands of Java, Indonesia, exotic	medium/dark		grd
LoneStar	smooth, rich blend light & dark roasts from Central & South America	medium/dark		grd
Mercy blend	bold, earthy Indonesian, Central & South America; espresso	dark	wb, grd
Texas Blend	Central & South American beans with big Texas-sized flavor, full-bodied; espresso	extra dark/Italian		grd

Good beans

Mercy's coffee is roasted fresh to order at Texas Coffee Traders in Austin, Texas and shipped the next day. People... that is fresh and you can taste the difference! TCT has been roasting great beans since 1981. Our beans originate from developing areas of the world like Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Fair trade cooperatives in these areas empower small-scale farmers with fair wages, safe working conditions and much more all while maintaining environmental sustainability.

In other words...Fair trade is good people helping other good people of developing countries who would otherwise be exploited to provide you with the highest quality products on the market. No children were harmed or trafficked to work on farms. No one cheated out of pay. No families going hungry and sinking deeper into poverty. No natural habitat or wildlife destroyed in the process.

Now doesn't that make you feel good?

Welcome to Mercy fair trade

...loose the chains of injustice (Isaiah 58:6)...
How can you actively play a part in relieving oppression? The choices you make have an impact on countless others.

Welcome to Mercy fair trade.

Fair trade is a response to injustice. Let me encourage you, the consumer, to consider the social, economic and environmental impact of your purchasing. From where are the products you purchase made? Wh...at are the working conditions of the people involved? Are children forced to labor instead of attending school? Is the environmental impact of production considered?

Fair trade is a partnership between marginalized producers of the developing world and you, the responsible consumer. With every dollar you spend on fair trade items, you are voting for justice, equality and respect for the producer.

It is the mission of MERCY to loose the chains of injustice by empowering producers with the means to break the cycle of poverty. We can accomplish that mission only if we each do our own small part to change the bigger picture.

Be informed. Be responsible. Buy fair trade.