Prince Charles's Organic Obsession

By Louise A. Barile

03/22/2002 at 12:00 PM EST

HRH Prince Charles, a passionate gardener and a proponent of organic farming, has announced that he intends to use organic cocoa from Guyana for his own line of chocolate biscuits, according to the Associated Press. In addition to his royal duties, the Prince, 53, oversees Duchy Original, a company that creates biscuits and jams using only organic ingredients. Charles, who visited the former British colony in 2000, will use the first crop of organic cocoa from Guyana in his Organic Dark Chocolate Thins. According to the AP, he views the organic cocoa project as a way of revitalizing Guyana's abandoned plantations. He told the news service that the project "has provided a perfect opportunity for small farmers from the disadvantaged Amerindian community to come together in mutual self-help." And the royal hopes that the example set by the Amerindian farmers will be followed by other Guyanans with different produce in the months to come. Charles expects to have the biscuits bearing his label available in stores by next Christmas, reports the AP. Sales of the sweets as well as other products in Duchy Originals go to the Prince's charitable trust.