Creating a mural on the entire wall of 175 Spring Street was a dream of ours ever since we decided to move to our beautiful new space.  Cacao plants are remarkable small trees that grow best in the shade of larger ones, like the banana trees shown left and right.  They sport flowers and pods of all sizes, all at once, along their trunks and branches.  They are mostly pollinated by a minuscule midge and sometimes bats.  Those are shown in beautiful detail in the second mural, which reads like a botanical print:  both murals were created by artist Claire Frederick, a super talented alumna of MECA.

As our customers know, we only use ethical chocolate, which is in part defined by the way the buyer of the beans and the farmers work together to create a sustainable environment.  Of key importance in a well run farm is the preservation of the shade canopy and the soil.  In addition to the banana trees, we show two important contributors to cacao farms sustainability: pigeon peas, which provides high quality protein in addition to trapping water and adding nitrogen to the soil.  And cardamom, a high value commodity, which gives farmers additional income.

The mural is also rich in birds, which are essential to controlling pests.  Bird biodiversity is in turn improved by cacao farms, where they find refuge.  And finally, the soft colors of the late dawn sky give us positive energy, even on the gloomiest day!