Today was a really late start since we didn’t have anything planned until 2:00. This meant I had the perfect opportunity to catch up on some much needed sleep. I slept until about 12:00 PM today before getting ready and then heading down to the library (which I didn’t even know existed). There to meet us in the library was Joke Aerts from Tony’s Chocolonely. Tony’s is a chocolate company that aims to make the cocoa industry 100% child labor and deforestation-free. According to Joke, Tony’s main goal is to spread awareness on the downfalls of the current state of the cocoa industry, and selling chocolate is only a vessel to do so. In other words, the chocolate comes second.

One thing I found very interesting about Joke’s presentation was the fact that Tony’s Chocolonely places them in the cocoa supply chain, making it very easy for them to enact change. This is different than a third party certification organization, which would only be able to influence from outside the industry. Tony’s is also a brand that prides themselves on traceability and transparency, and even go as far as to list all of their sources on their website. They also visit their sources themselves in order to ensure that there is no child labor or deforestation occurring at any of the farms. I find Tony’s a very honorable company, and I will definitely be buying more of my chocolate from them.

Speaking of buying chocolate, after the visit from Joke, we then went to the Tony’s Superstore. One thing that Joke did mention during her presentation was the fact that Tony’s does have to increase the price point of their chocolates in order to help farmers earn living wages, which I did notice in the store as the prices did seem to be a bit steeper than a regular chocolate bar. Because of the noble goal of Tony’s, however, I did end up buying 3 bars (I just tell myself so I don’t feel guilty about spending as much as I did on chocolate).

After Tony’s we then headed to our farewell dinner. Unfortunately, today was the last day of the trip, which is both sad and a little relieving. When I first came here two weeks ago, I will admit that I was very nervous about this program. I barely knew any of the students, and I also didn’t know what value the program held with me being a bioengineering student. Now, two weeks later, it feels stupid to have even felt that way. The entire group as a whole has become so much closer and it has been so much fun hanging out with all of them. As for what I gained from the experience, if someone asked me about it I could talk for hours. This trip has solidified my interest in sustainability, so much so that I have no decided to pursue a sustainability distinction at the Pitt. It has also opened my eyes by showing me how different cultures can vastly impact engineering and business as a whole by dictating which goals take priority.