Advanced BioFuels USA

(AgDaily)  In its debut in February, the debut of Ethos Chocolate made a big, wonderful, delicious splash — the initial batch of 10,000 bars was gone in just nine days. What makes them special is that Ethos is a line of handcrafted bars that are made with ingredients that illustrate the benefits of biotechnology. In other words, this chocolate is abashedly pro-GMO.

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Ethos bars will be sent to those who donate to support the mission of A Fresh Look, the nonprofit organization that helps connect moms and other consumers to today’s farming world.

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Ethos Chocolate bars contain sustainably grown cacao and each is symbolic of a GMO crop story, demonstrating how technology has played — or is currently playing — a heroic role in solving a real-world food challenge:

• The Optimist –Genetic engineering is being explored to protect cacao trees like the ones in the Dominican Republic that make the Ethos bars.
• The Survivor — GMOs saved the entire papaya industry in Hawaii after it was decimated by papaya ring spot virus.
• The Hero — GMO researchers are working to help Florida orange trees fight the citrus greening disease which threatens the entire citrus crop.
• The Trendsetter — GMO farming paved the way for non-browning apples that stay fresh longer to help cut food waste.

“We want to help educate the public on the value of GMO farming and the positive impact biotechnology can have on a local and global scale, like slashing pesticide use an average of 37 percent worldwide,” said Rebecca Larson, lead scientist for A Fresh Look. “We want people to enjoy these delicious chocolates, but also take a fresh look at GMOs.”  READ MORE

Excerpt from Ethos Chocolate: SUSTAINABILITY STARTS AT THE SOURCE   In our case, that’s Hato Mayor Del Rey, a cacao farm on the eastern mountain slopes of the Dominican Republic. Here, we hand-pick perfectly ripe pods, then ferment, dry and grade them ourselves. Only the best are sent to our Gaithersburg, Maryland factory where we roast and refine the cocoa in small batches. Finally, our master chocolatiers combine the cocoa with beet sugar and a few other sustainable ingredients to create our very own out-of-this-world, single-estate chocolates.

When we launched Ethos Chocolate in February, we hoped a few people would share a few bars and help spread the sweet truth about GMOs. But when orders started flooding in every 36 seconds, we realized we had a chance to do something even more special.