Bean-to-bar ethical chocolate company MIA, short for Made In Africa, has nine bars in its vegan range. The range is available now in-store at Donnybrook Fair stores – Greystones and Malahide – and online from ethical supply chain partner Proudly Made in Africa.
MIA’s entire range of chocolates is made from bean-to-bar in Madagascar as part of the company’s commitment to create more added-value and skilled jobs on the African continent that grows 70% of the world’s cocoa. According to MIA, the company now creates five times more value in Madagascar than the export of raw cocoa.
What Makes MIA Special?
- Made entirely in Africa from bean-to-bar unlike 99% of chocolate in the market
- Creates skilled jobs for five times more value in Madagascar than the export of raw cocoa
- MIA runs a Carbon Capture programme – 1 for Change impact programme offsets CO2 with a tree planting initiative
- MIA has a perennial Girls Education Fund to keep girls in school
- In 2021, MIA supported projects to combat COVID-19 and fight famine in Madagascar
- In 2020, MIA earned a place in the top 3 of Ethical Consumer’s review of 47 chocolate brands
- MIA has received 5 Great Taste Awards from the Guild of Fine Foods
- The entire MIA range is accredited vegan by the UK-based Vegetarian Society
MIA Co-founder Brett Beach: “We are so excited that MIA is stocked in Donnybrook Fair stores. Donnybrook Fair has a great reputation for quality, and we believe that the combination of flavour and social impact will create lasting customers for MIA.”
MIA aspires to work with thousands of artisans in communities throughout the African continent to offer consumers a wide range of delicious foods that build on fair trade to set a new standard: ‘fair made.'
The entire chocolate making process – including the roasting, shelling, grinding, tempering and even packaging – takes place under one roof in Madagascar to utilise the freshest and best ingredients. All of the bars are crafted with fine flavour cocoa, a classification awarded to the top 10% of cocoa by the International Cocoa Organization.
About MIA – Made In Africa
Set up by a group of foodies with a shared passion for the African continent, its people, wildlife and natural ingredients is different from 99% in the market.
Part of just 1% of the world’s chocolate is made in Africa – the world’s poorest continent and source of 70% of the world’s cocoa – MIA provides local communities sustainable jobs, transfers skills and creates four times more revenue than the export of raw cocoa.
The entire bean-to-bar chocolate making process – including the roasting, shelling, grinding, tempering and even packaging – takes place under one roof in Madagascar to utilise the freshest and best ingredients.
The MIA brand is partnered with Proudly Made in Africa (PMIA) to ensure that products aren’t just made on the African continent but are ethically produced with as many locally sourced ingredients and materials as possible. The MIA supply chain of fourteen local partners is audited according to the Ethical Trading Initiative Base Code.
MIA is committed to a 1 for Change programme which ensures that 1% of all company sales are dedicated to development projects in places where a little goes a long way. Whether it’s projects to help save local endangered species or to improve a community’s livelihoods, the programme is central to the brand’s philosophy.
