Remember DIV Kinder eV? This organization supports children on the Ivory Coast and so do you. 1% of each of your chocri purchases is donated to this charity project. In the previous years it was already possible to finance a water well and several refrigerators with the help of your money. The current project focuses on building an orphanage in Gagnoa.

A few days ago we received some up-to-date pictures of the building. The workmen are done laying bricks, also the roof structure is solid, corrugated metal sheets are lying on top and windows as well as doors are installed. All it needs to finish the whole project is a reasonable ground floor and furniture.

We are very happy and proud to watch the orphanage grow. Obviously the money is being spent on something great and important. In the end so many kids will benefit from your donations.

One of those kids is Ibrahim. Playing soccer this little boy hurt his leg so badly that it had to be amputated. With your financial support it was possible to get him an artificial replacement and to supply him medically afterwards.

Where does the misery come from?

Ever since the Ivory Coast gained independence from France in 1960, the country quickly developed into one of the wealthiest states in West Africa. The ruling state president managed to establish political stability. When he died in 1993 things changed. Civil disturbances and economic difficulties led to fights all over the country. Nine years later the army acted against the government and took control of the northern part of the Ivory Coast. Ever since that time a lot has been tried to end this awful situation but new disagreements and struggles occur again and again.

We feel certain that also your future donations will make a precious contribution in supporting the people in the Ivory Coast. Again: Thank you all for your help.

I was just expecting to speak to the chocri founders Micha and Franz about some decisions coming up, but what a surprise - DIV Kinder was visiting. As you (hopefully) know, DIV Kinder is the charity organization that we donate 1% of every purchase to, and that many of you choose to donate to in addition at checkout.

Spontaneous as we are at chocri, a quick Skype conference was held, and I got to meet the friends from DIV Kinder. They talked about how they are waiting on a container full of tools, building material for the orphanage and even an old used Pickup (on the Ivory Coast they can do a lot with a car that they sell in the Western World for 2000 bucks). In that container are also computers. This vision impressed me tremendously: the vision that computers and the education kids can get through it is as valuable as a car to transport material. We joked about sending one of our programmers over to teach the kids how to use the computers (it's funny because the programmer likes to develop a lot more than to talk - geniuses are awesome and we're so happy to have him).

We also talked about how Michael and Franz need to get to the Ivory Coast - something they had planned for January of this year and which was intercepted by the U.S. Launch. The two chocri founders are planning on actively working on the orphanage, and to see with their own eyes what's going on in the Ivory Coast. We made a conscious decision to not give the donations to a big organization (whose brand name would probably help us get publicity), but to give it to an organization where we personally know the people that are doing as much as they possibly can to make their community a better place - a community (the Ivory Coast) we care a lot about. In that light, I'm honored to have met DIV Kinder today, even if only via Skype. Just as we are passionate about making the best chocolate in the world, they are passionate to their cause, and it was wonderful to see that.

As you know, 1% of every chocri purchase is donated to DIV Kinder, an organization that supports kids on the Ivory Coast. The Ivory Coast exports more than a third of all cocoa beans world wide. We do this because we believe in a company's role to give back to the community, and because we want to encourage fair practices in cocoa farming.

We are proud to announce that our donations to DIV Kinder have surpassed the $40,000 mark, taking German and US donations together. As a matter of fact, we decided to display the donations as one figure on our homepage, to more accurately reflect how much chocri customers have already helped out.

Thank you all for supporting the good causes of helping out children in need!

Today, we celebrate Martin Luther King Day in the United States. Martin Luther King is an icon of human rights, played a major role in ending race inequality and discrimination, and of course he is famous for his dramatic "I Have a Dream" speech. He showed that progress and change can be brought about by the people, absent of violence .

I think that Martin Luther King is a wonderful example for all of us - everyone of us has the power to do change and make this world a little better. That's for example why chocri donates 1% of each purchase to charity, and many of you have already generously donated additionally. Making change happen can be as easy as making better choices - whether it is a greener behavior, whether it is stepping up for someone who deserves it, or just saying thanks to those people that have helped you achieve your dreams.

Today is the last day of free shipping with chocri - wasn't there someone who you wanted to send a personalized chocolate bar to?

What is your dream?