(Chelsea Update would like to thank Alison Mackie for the information in this story.)
If you’ve been looking for an excuse to visit Chelsea Underground Art Gallery, here it is: A brand-new stock of Mindo bars, from crazy dark to hot pepper, has arrived and Barby Wilson of Mindo Fair Trade Chocolate Makers is going to be on hand to dish out a free demo at the gallery from 6:30 to 8 p.m., Friday, Oct. 23.
Mindo chocolate bars pair perfectly with fine coffee or red wine and there will be some of that to sample as well as great art, including newly arrived photographs by Colorado artist Andres Orlowski.
Mindo chocolate is fair trade, meaning their company supports small-scale farmers who strive to be gainfully employed in a job that brings dignity and joy. The gallery wants to support ethical purchasing choices by making fair trade chocolate at the gallery available on a regular basis.
“We’re all bound up in each other’s fate: When you nibble on a piece of fair trade chocolate locally you can feel good about it because a farming community in Ecuador is being supported,” says gallery owner Alison Mackie.
The event coincides with the opening exhibition of photographer Andres Orlowski. Born in Michigan, Orlowski grew up in Mexico City and now lives in Colorado. As a pictorial conceptualist, he draws upon inner theater when composing an image with the wish that his work may produce a certain kind of self-reflection in others.
His work can be previewed here.
Facts About Mindo:
Mindo Fair Trade Chocolate Makers is a bean-to-bar chocolate maker located in Dexter. Their goal is to produce the best chocolate possible while maintaining high ethical standards. They are constantly striving to create a sustainable, environmentally-friendly company that exceeds fair trade standards and ensures fair treatment of employees and suppliers.
The beans are grown by a small cooperative of cacao farmers near Mindo, Ecuador. All of the plants are grown in small lots, hand harvested, and fermented. The beans are dried, roasted, and winnowed in Ecuador then sent to the chocolate making studio in Dexter.
