The name Chiques comes from Native American Lenape, Chiquesalunga, meaning “place of crayfishâ.
Chiques Creek is a 31.6-mile-long tributary of the Susquehanna River. The Creek’s source is at an elevation of 1,100 feet near Mount Gretna Heights in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania. Merging with the Susquehanna River at an elevation of 230 feet in Marietta in Lancaster County.
Chiques Rock overlooks the Susquehanna River where Chiques Creek ends.
It is necessary to say an important word about independent third party Organic Certification.
It is Chiques’ conviction to use only Single-Source (as opposed to blended), Fair-Trade (using local farming cooperatives, delivering more profits to the the source – the farmer), Organic Ingredients.
The majority of Coffee and Chocolate (Cacao in Spanish) farmers manage small farms, between 1 and 4 hectares (between 2.5 to 10 acres). Local farming cooperatives do not share the cost of Organic Certification between its members, that is the individual farmer’s responsibility. The cost of having an independent third party certify their crops as organic would equal from one third to half of a year’s profits.
It is for this very reason Chiques accepts self declaration of Organic Farming. No pesticides or fertilizers (small farmers can not afford them anyway!). We feel that we can effect the most change by purchasing Fair-Trade products.