Foodie Goodie | Mars Celebrations!

No new recipe in this week's edition of Foodie Goodie (yes, that's the so-called food section of my blog). Instead, let me share with you what's keeping our endorphin high and happy these days - chocolates! A big tub of 'em! :)

Celebrations! :)

Introduced in 1997, global manufacturer Mars, Incorporated became the first confectionery company to launch a variety pack full on miniature branded chocolates. Up until that point all the twist wrap selection boxes had been comprised of specially made chocolate selections. Mars decided to change the concept and give you miniature versions of the chocolates we all know and love. And thus, the birth of Celebrations. 

Their tagline? Share the joy!

With its tagline 'Share the joy', Celebrations are perfect for sharing with friends and family, and make a great gift idea for holidays such as Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter, and of course, Halloween.

Dive in!

One tub is 750 grams, which contains more or less 95 pieces of miniature chocolates. That's too much for my little man and I to eat by ourselves, so I ended up sharing the contents of this tub with Yue's friends at school.

Oh, the calories!

The selection includes Mars, Bounty, Milky Way, Snickers, Galaxy, Galaxy Caramel, Twix (my super favorite among the bunch), and Maltesers Teaser. I noticed one thing, though. The Bountys and Snickers were bountiful, while the Maltesers Teaser were quite rare. I believe there were only about twelve pieces of the latter in my tub.

Yum! :)

Celebrations are quite popular in the United Kingdom (ours were actually sent by my Mum in London), and can be bought at supermarkets such as Tesco and ASDA. I reckon they sell for around £7 - that's at least $12 or Php500 when converted. Not sure if the supermarkets here in the Philippines carry this product, though I remember seeing the jar version being sold at Duty Free.

And, since we're on the subject of chocolates, let me list down some of my favorite brands. I have a handful of favorites actually, but if I were to narrow my choice to five it would have to be Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Lindt 70% Cacao, Lindt Pistachio, Guylian Truffle Fill, and Philippine-made Theo and Philo's Green Mango and Salt. 

How about you, what's your favorite chocolate? :)

Shared with Food Friday and Food Trip Friday.

Social Enterprise Products | Purpose Beyond Profit.

Remember the launching of the Human Heart Nature Laguna Concept Store that happened two Saturdays ago, and how impressed I was with its posh, new look? Here's another thing that really blew me away.

The 'Social Enterprise' wall!

Food products! Lots and lots of food products!
There's Enchantea, a bottled drink made from these five ingredients: lemongrass, duhat, pandan, and calamansi.

Enchantea, Php 35/bottle.

This all-natural and healthy beverage is co-designed, brewed, and bottled by the residents of the Gawad Kalinga Enchanted Farm in Angat, Bulacan.

Goodness you can drink!

Also from the same farm are these Golden Eggs.

Golden Eggs, 6 pieces at Php 140. 

Instead of the usual red, these salted eggs are dyed in turmeric yellow - the color of hope for Gawad Kalinga. Food-grade and all-natural dyes are used to color these eggs, making them safer and more fit for consumption.

Cafe de Sug, Php 250/pouch.

Cafe de Sug, on the other hand, is more than just coffee. It's also an attempt, a continuous effort to change the negative mindset about Sulu.

Instead of being in the spotlight for rampant killings and terrorist attacks, Sulu is slowly becoming known as home to this bold and flavorful coffee.This Tausug brew is made with whole roasted, premium Arabica beans grown by the Gawad Kalinga Sulu Sibol community. 

Theo & Philo Artisan Chocolates, Php 100/bar.

Craving for chocolate?

Have a bar or two of these artisan chocolates from Theo & Philo - the only bean to bar chocolate from the Philippines. Made from Davao cacao beans, each bar of Theo & Philo is infused with creative and uniquely Filipino flavors.

Dark Chocolate with Siling Labuyo on the left, Dark Chocolate with Green Mango and Sea Salt on the right.

70% Dark Chocolate.

Note that these products do not come from the normal enterprise. Like Human Heart Nature, these brands have more than just profit in mind. They are what we call the social enterprise - a social economy that  operates like a business, produces goods and services for the market, but manages its operations and redirects its surpluses in pursuit of social and environmental goals*.

An equally noble goal of social enterprise (aside from generating income to pursue more of a non-profit's mission) is the involvement of the marginalized - thus creating capacity and self-sufficiency for individuals, and impacting their communities and lessening reliance on the social safety net (eg. the Enchanted Farm, the Sulu Sibol Community). 

So next time you take a sip of Enchantea, or enjoy a cup of Cafe de Sug, or satisfy your craving with Theo & Philo, keep in mind that you are not just delighting your appetite. By supporting these brands, you are - in your own little way - also helping to build a more sustainable economy and a stronger nation.

Enchantea, Golden Egg, Cafe de Sug, and Theo & Philo are also available at the Human Heart Nature Flagship Store in Quezon City. Cafe de Sug can also be ordered online.

*Defining the Social Economy, Fiona Salkie.


Sharing with Food Friday, Food Trip Friday, Photo Story Friday, Oh! Snap, Color Connection.

Join | GuyLian Giveaway!

I'm a certified chocoholic. Be it a chocolate bar, a chocolate drink, chocolate cookies, or a chocolate cake, for as long as it's chocolate, I'd be more than happy (if not ecstatic) to wolf 'em down. Come to think of it... is there anybody out there who doesn't like chocolate?

So I'm pretty sure a lot of you will find this next giveaway quite hard, perhaps even impossible, to resist. 

 

Gulyian Artisanal Belgian Chocolates provide the ultimate experience for chocolate lovers. Each luxurious chocolate seashell is marbled with 100% pure, silky smooth milk, dark or white Belgian chocolate. Their irresistible seashell chocolates are filled with a rich, decadent, and luxuriously creamy chocolate truffle; the original handmade recipe of Guy & Liliane. Their signature truffle recipe is still made in small-batch copper kettles exclusively by Guylian's Master Chocolatiers in Sint-Niklaas, Belgium.   

 

Review done by Donna's Deals and More 
We were able to try out their truffles and their no sugar added chocolate bars (both the milk chocolate and dark chocolate). My favorite was the milk chocolate. I wasn't too fond of the truffles, but my husband has been eating them up. He said they have a very "rich" taste. My dad happened to be around when we got into the chocolates and loved the dark chocolate bar. 


Now one of you lucky readers will be able to try them out too! They're offering a Guylian prize pack of

• One – 22 piece box of Guylian Artisanal Belgian Original Chocolate Truffles
• Two - 6 piece Original Chocolate Truffle Box
• Four - 2 piece Original Chocolate Truffle Box

All you have to do is enter the rafflecopter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Open to US only, must be 18 years or older

*Disclosure: I received no compensation for this publication. My opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own. The Rebel Sweetheart will not be responsible for sponsor prize shipment.