Endangered Species Chocolate (ESC) continues to give back to our planet as part of its mission to impact conservation efforts around the world. Ahead of Earth Day, ESC released its 2020 Impact Report, celebrating the most successful GiveBack year of the company’s history. In its nearly three decades of donating 10 percent of its annual net profits, the company presented its largest donation to date of over a half-million dollars to the National Forest Foundation and the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund.
“We’re so thankful for what we were able to accomplish in the challenging year of 2020,” said Curt Vander Meer, CEO of Endangered Species Chocolate. “We love the product we create, and we’re proud that our real, delicious chocolate helps to support species, habitat, and humanity across the globe. Our goal is to raise $1 million annually by 2027. With every purchase of an Endangered Species Chocolate bar, we’re that much closer to reaching it. When each of us dares to make a difference, the impact ripples—and we’ve only just begun. What a great way to celebrate this week as the world focuses on making the Earth a better place for future generations. We are so proud to be a part of that.”
Since its founding, ESC has focused on making true impact possible through every purchase to support conservation efforts across the globe while also supporting independent farmers in West Africa through its Fairtrade sourcing.
With ESC donations, stated the company’s release, The National Forest Foundation’s conservation work directly benefited the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker and the threatened anadromous coho and chinook salmon. The Foundation was also able to:
“Without the support of Endangered Species Chocolate over the past two years, we would not have been able to advance our project work on the ground to the extent that we did,” said Mary Mitsos, President of the National Forest Foundation. “In fact, ESC’s support this year was more critical to our mission than ever. Due to COVID-19, we had to cancel our only annual fundraising event, which provides essential operational support. The partnership with ESC has kept our organization going.”
The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund also had a successful year.
“Our partnership with Endangered Species Chocolate, which is in its second year, really came at a critical time for the organization. With the onset of COVID, our work protecting the gorillas and helping local communities has never been more important, but it has come with increased costs,” said Tara Stoinski, President, CEO, and Chief Scientific Officer at the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund. “The funds we’ve received from ESC have helped us maintain our permanent presence in the field, and I’m proud to say we haven’t missed a day of protecting the gorillas since the pandemic started.”
With ESC donations, the organization distributed 14,000 trees to local families to help improve food security and allocated 200,000+ hours in the field to protect gorillas. The Gorilla Fund was also able to:
Since 2016, ESC has donated over $2.6 million to its GiveBack Partners.
As consumers scan aisles for new products to enjoy, many are reaching out to ones that are environmentally friendly and with a purpose. With companies like ESC in the ranks, one can only wonder how far sustainable practices will expand.
Click here to learn more about ESC and its 2020 Impact Report.
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