Martha Stewart and Oprah love this Penn alum’s chocolates: Win them.

Kira and John

Over the past 4 years, DT has run a bunch of contests (from winning revolutionary water bottles to winning fantastic shaving cream).

Today, we launch a new contest to win some holiday chocolate goodness from a Penn entrepreneur doing all sorts of good in the world.

Co founders Kira Baker-Doyle (C’97, MSD’99, PHD’08) and her husband John created John & Kira’s, a socially innovative chocolate company dedicated to both making and selling world class confections and promoting positive social change.

More about her delicious chocolates and how you can enter to win a Chocolate Bee Tower after the jump!

…Or go right to the contest entry page HERE

While Kira was completing a Masters in Education at Penn, she was working closely with an urban school garden project.  After over a year of research and experimentation, the pair developed an all natural line of chocolates so delicious and unique that Gourmet Magazine placed them on the front cover of their publication in 2003, and praised them as their ‘favorite chocolates’.

I have eaten (boxes of!) these and they are REALLY great!

The signature line of chocolate ganache squares features ingredients from sustainable artisan food growers local to their Philadelphia chocolate studio, across the country and around the world. They highlight:

• fresh mint grown in urban school garden programs in Philadelphia that teach students
  about nutrition and agriculture
• honey from family-run Draper’s Apiaries in PA paired with organic lavender
• lemongrass from a biodynamic & organic farm preserving heirloom crops in CA
• ginger from a biodynamic & organic farm on Molokai, Hawaii
• shade grown coffee from a worker-owned Fair Trade cooperative in Chiapas, Mexico
• pistachios grown, harvested & roasted on family owned & operated Eagle Ranch in NM
• organic earl grey tea from a Sri Lankan employee-owned cooperative.
• New this year, the Might Mint Urban Garden Chocolate Bar highlights mint from four urban gardens in Philadelphia and Washington, DC. The fresh mint leaves are steeped directly into the chocolate for an amazingly refreshing flavor that tastes just like mint picked from your Grandmother’s garden. 5% of the sale price goes directly back to the gardens to support the educational programs the gardens provide to inner city youth. 3 oz.

Mouth watering yet?  How good does this sound?!

Julie

Since the 2003 Gourmet Magazine article, John & Kira’s concept and the company have grown steadily. They have expanded their chocolate line to include chocolate ladybugs and chocolate filled figs from an organic, family-owned farm in Spain. Their chocolates, recently featured on the Martha Stewart Show and in Oprah Magazine, are available online.

And this story is yet another example of alumni working together as another Penn alum, Julie Yannalfo (C’04, Living Cultures Program, Rebuilding Together, Alternate Spring Break, PennPals) has also joined the team.  Julie had been Director of Programs and Communications for the Penn Club of New York for five years prior to this.

Now here’s how you can win a “Bee Hive Tower” (15 pc every flavor box & 6-pc Caramel Bees – $50 value):

Get the contest details here…+/-

FREE SHIPPING On Select Chocolates!
For just a few days (through 9am EST Monday, 12/06) John & Kira are offering select items with FREE SHIPPING! More HERE

For other Penn folks who want to donate a prize for a future DT contest, email me at 

Get your holiday gifts at John & Kiras HERE

Another Penn alum with a film about sustainable living HERE

Another Penn alum entrepreneur blessed with the “Oprah Effect” HERE

A Penn alum who worked for Martha Stewart HERE

More Penn Foodies HERE

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• Contests
• DT contest
• Julie Yannalfo
• Kira Baker-Doyle