Apes Go to Space? Endangered Species Chocolate is a Treat to have as a Client

I learned that in February 2009, eight chocolate bars sporting the branding work and package design by the creative talent at Hotbed will be venturing into space! Check out this story. The energy around a product that makes a difference — from outer space no less — is precisely why Hotbed was created: to make a difference in our world....now expanded to our universe. Now that's ignition!

Endangered Species Chocolate "Chimpanzee" bars will launch aboard space shuttle Discovery on February 12.
January 12, 2009 — One month from today, an astronaut will launch to the International Space Station (ISS), taking eight endangered species chimpanzees with him on the space shuttle. The apes are not part of a biological study, as NASA launched nearly 50 years ago, but are rather for dessert.

You see, the chimps are actually chocolate and by eating them, the astronaut and his fellow crew mates are helping to save real life chimpanzees here on Earth.

The bar-shaped "Supreme Dark Chocolate" candy, which is produced by Endangered Species Chocolate of Indiana features a picture of a chimpanzee on its wrapper.

"Every single bar has printed on it '10% of net profits [are] donated to help support species, habitat and humanity'", explained Renée Sweany, who manages public relations and advertising for the company. "Our biggest goal is to raise money that we can then give back to organizations that are focused on conservation."

It was a "very cool surprise" Sweany told collectSPACE when they learned their chocolates were space-bound.

"United Space Alliance contacted us looking for stores where they could purchase the bars," she recalled. "They received the request and contacted us to let us know."

United Space Alliance, which prepares the "crew choice" pantry aboard the shuttle, packed the eight bars for flight.

The request was made by STS-119 mission specialist Steven Swanson, who during the 14-day mission aboard shuttle Discovery will serve as flight engineer and lead spacewalker. He specifically asked for the "chimpanzee chocolates" but for a different reason perhaps, than why some might assume.

Astronaut Steven Swanson with his favorite chocolate bars."Lately, I've decided that is my favorite dessert," shared Swanson with collectSPACE. "It's just chocolate but it just happens to be the one I like. We have it in the stores here, and that's the one I have come accustomed to and like."

"That's my dessert pretty much after every dinner. It's not too much sugar and tastes really good and it satisfies my cravings for dessert," he admitted.

That the candy helps the chimpanzees and other animals was only a bonus.

"I liked the fact that it does [help]," said Swanson, "and that probably made me buy it the first time, but if it wasn't a good chocolate, I wasn't going to keep buying it."

And even though he really likes them, Swanson was not opposed to sharing.

"We'll share it all with everyone," he said of his STS-119 crew mates. "I'm sure Sandy is going to have some as I know she likes chocolate," continued Swanson in regards to Sandy Magnus, who will return to Earth with Discovery after three months aboard the space station.

In addition to returning Magnus to the ground and bringing her replacement, Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata to the station, Swanson and his crew mates will deliver and install a new truss segment as well as the fourth and final set of solar array wings to provide power to the ISS. Led by commander Lee Archambault, STS-119 is targeted for launch on February 12 at 7:32 a.m. EST.

Sweany said that everyone at Endangered Species was excited by the upcoming spaceflight. Previously, the most "exotic" location that their chocolates had traveled were to Ivory Coast and Peru, where their all-natural and organic cocoa is grown.

"Nothing compares to actually leaving the Earth," Sweany declared.

View story at http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-011209a.html