A few weeks ago, I was invited to the re-launch of Magnum Ecuador. The chocolate covered ice cream has been around a while, but the chocolate is now Rainforest Alliance certified, and Magnum have been making a big deal about using real, ethically sourced chocolate. All good stuff.

And then they sent us the press release for the monstrosity above. For some inexplicable reason they got together with Karl Lagerfeld and chocolatier Patrick Roger to create a hotel suite made out of 10.5 tonnes of chocolate. Including a very scary looking chocolate man.

Leaving aside the fact that the whole thing looks like something out of a bad horror film, this is an extraordinary waste that completely undermines any argument that Unilever (producers of Magnum) are in any way interested in promoting real, sustainable chocolate production.

Perhaps I’m being overly grumpy, but this in my opinion, sums up everything that’s wrong with mass produced chocolate. When cocoa farmers of the world struggle to get by, this kind of over-the-top wasteful indulgence makes my heart sink.

I’ve no idea how much it cost, but I do know the money would have been better spent being invested in the cocoa farming communities and co-operatives that work so hard for so little reward.

You might also like...