Image by GSA.
To raise awareness and funds for the plight of endangered Southern Resident orcas, Canada’s original organic chocolate company Denman Island Chocolate has created a brand new Orca Bar for Orca Action Month in June.
Made with dark, organic, fair trade chocolate and shredded coconut, the Orca Bar is available at hundreds of retailers from British Columbia to Nova Scotia and also in Washington State. A packaging-free truffle version is also available at Vancouver’s Nada Grocery.
Partial proceeds from Orca Bar sales will be donated to regional marine conservation organization Georgia Strait Alliance to support the group’s orca recovery initiatives. Southern Resident orcas are under threat from marine contaminants, disruptive and noisy vessel traffic and a lack of prey. The endangered population of only 76 individuals spends a significant amount of time in the Salish Sea.
“Living on an island, we’re very aware of ocean issues and the need to protect the waters around us,” says Daniel Terry, founder and owner of Denman Island Chocolate. “We’re raising money with the Orca Bar, but our bigger goal is to keep awareness high about the threats to orcas and to motivate people to find ways to get involved with the effective marine conservation work that Georgia Strait Alliance is doing,” he says. “This is our very first ongoing campaign with a partner organization, reflecting that the serious food and habitat issues that orcas are facing are not going away anytime soon,” he says.
Georgia Strait Alliance executive director Christianne Wilhelmson says; “We’re proud that Denman Island Chocolate, a long-time supporter of our work, has chosen such a creative and delicious way to meaningfully impact the health of the Salish Sea. When we protect Southern Resident orcas, we protect the Strait of Georgia and all the species, communities and economies that depend on its health for their survival, and that is what drives us at GSA every day.”
The full list of retailers that carry Denman Island Chocolate’s Orca Bar is available here. If your favourite store doesn’t sell them, ask them to bring them in!
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Images
High-resolution images of southern resident orcas (copyright is Rachael Merrett-Georgia Strait Alliance) and the Denman Island Chocolate Orca Bar (copyright Georgia Strait Alliance) are available here.
Denman Island Chocolate, located in British Columbia’s Gulf Islands, was created in 1998 by Daniel and Ruth Terry. Since then, they’ve been making millions of people happy with delicious chocolate made at their factory on Denman Island. The company is certified by Pacific Agricultural Certification Society (PACS), www.denmanislandchocolate.com, 866-335-2418.
About Georgia Strait Alliance
Formed in 1990, Georgia Strait Alliance is the only conservation group working to protect and restore the marine environment and promote the sustainability of Georgia Strait, its adjoining waters and communities, www.georgiastrait.org