What is Coco-Zen?

Coco-Zen is a state of nirvana achieved by surrendering to the taste and aroma
of luscious, rich chocolate.

It's knowing that you are helping our planet and its people,
because all of our treats are handmade from organic and Fair Trade Certified™ chocolate.

A state of ecstasy, peace and harmony, Coco-Zen is oneness with chocolate.

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Sunday, November 3, 2013

Quote of the Week - 11.03.13





Love is just like rice - plant it elsewhere and it grows.
~ Malagasy Proverb

Love is like Fair Trade chocolate - share it and it grows.
~ Coco-Zen

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Thank you and goodbye, sort of...




Dear Friends, Fans and Loyal Customers,

After these many years of making chocolates and helping to spread the word on Fair Trade, I've decided that it's time to say goodbye as I move onto other personal endeavors.

Closing up shop...
Coco-Zen will be closing over the next couple of months. Beginning November 1, Coco-Zen will no longer be producing "edible" treats. Only our "wearable" Chocolate Body Treats and a few Green Living items will be available for purchase. These will be available for the remainder of the year or until supplies run out.

Sort of...
Several people have already inquired about chocolates for holiday gifting. Since this is a special time of the year, I will be taking some "personal" orders. If you are interested in ordering chocolates for the holiday season, you can email me for information - info@coco-zen.com.

New website on Facebook...
Our current website will also be closing, as we migrate everything over to our Facebook Page. There you can visit our Shop to make purchases. We will also continue to post articles and information on Fair Trade and all things "green" that we come across.

Lastly, but most importantly...
I want to personally say thank you to everyone. I truly appreciate all the friends and family who have supported me in this wonderful adventure in chocolate. And...I especially want to thank all the wonderful customers that have visited our little shop on the web. Many of you have become friends, sharing knowledge and wonderful experiences in chocolate, Fair Trade and all manners of green living.


It's been 6 1/2 years since I was inspired to start Coco-Zen (that little face I'm holding in the picture spawned my adventure into Fair Trade and green living), and an amazing time it has been. So, it's with bittersweetness in my heart that I finally say thank you and goodbye...sort of.

Cheers to all!

Joyce Kushner
Coco-Zen Founder and Chief Chocolate Maker

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Quote of the Week - 10.27.13




Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.
~ Mahatma Ghandi

Happiness is when planet, people and chocolate are in harmony.
~ Coco-Zen

Monday, October 14, 2013

Quote of the Week - 10.14.13





Good fortune is what happens when opportunity meets with planning.
~ Thomas Edison

Good chocolate is what happens when cocoa meets with Fair Trade.
~ Coco-Zen

Monday, September 9, 2013

Quote of the Week - 09.09.13





Success is more permanent when you achieve it without destroying your principles.
~ Walter Cronkite

Chocolate is more delicious when you achieve it through Fair Trade.
~ Coco-Zen

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Stuff We Found Today - 09.04.13


Dolphins Have "Names," Respond When Called - (National Geographic)


Food Stuff

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    Sunday, September 1, 2013

    Quote of the Week - 09.01.13




    When you realize how perfect everything is, you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky.
    ~ Buddha

    When you realize how perfect Fair Trade chocolate is, you will tilt your head back and enjoy the chocolate.
    ~ Coco-Zen

    Wednesday, August 7, 2013

    VIDEO: Genetic Roulette: The Gamble of Our Lives


    Genetically modified organisms... how they came into our food supply and the risks they pose to animal and human health. Very interesting is how this relates to the growing food allergy problems that so many kids seem to have now.

    "This seminal documentary provides compelling evidence to help explain the deteriorating health of Americans, especially among children, and offers a recipe for protecting ourselves and our future."

    Genetic Roulette Movie Trailer - (scroll down for the full movie in 4 parts)




    Genetic Roulette: The Gamble of Our Lives - Part 1 of 4



    Genetic Roulette: The Gamble of Our Lives - Part 2 of 4



    Genetic Roulette: The Gamble of Our Lives - Part 3 of 4



    Genetic Roulette: The Gamble of Our Lives - Part 4 of 4



    Wednesday, July 24, 2013

    Stuff We Found Today - 07.24.13



    Jellyfish Lake - (Mother Nature Network)


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    Thursday, June 27, 2013

    Stuff We Found Today - 06.27.13



    Pod of 40 bottlenose dolphins ride 8ft-high waves along South African coast 


    Family, Kids & Health Stuff

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    Sunday, June 16, 2013

    Quote of the Week - 06.16.13




    Laughter is an instant vacation.
    ~ Milton Berle

    A piece of Fair Trade chocolate is an instant vacation.
    ~ Coco-Zen

    Thursday, June 6, 2013

    Stuff We Found Today - 06.06.13


    Floating Mangrove Forest Springs Up in a Wrecked Coal Ship


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    Sunday, June 2, 2013

    Quote of the Week - 06.02.13




    It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.
    ~ Confucius

    It does not matter how slowly you eat your chocolate as long as it’s Fair Trade.
    ~ Coco-Zen

    Monday, May 20, 2013

    Stuff We Found Today - 05.20.13



    Do The Green Thing: "Don't Bottle It" by Stuart Watson


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    Quote of the Week - 05.20.13





    Every new day is another chance to change your life.
    ~Unknown

    Every new day is another chance to have some Fair Trade chocolate.
    ~ Coco-Zen

    Sunday, May 12, 2013

    Quote of the Week - 05.12.13





    He who learns but does not think is lost. He who thinks but does not learn is in great danger.
    ~ Confucius

    He who eats chocolate but does not buy Fair Trade is lost. He who buys Fair Trade chocolate but does not eat it is insane.
    ~ Coco-Zen

    Tuesday, May 7, 2013

    Stuff We Found Today - 05.07.13



    Extreme Algae Bloom - algae-covered waters off the coast of Qingdao, China


    Family, Kids & Health Stuff

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    Monday, April 29, 2013

    VIDEO: Carbon Omissions Animation


    Although this short animation speak directly about the UK, it can easily describe any other western "developed" society.





    A new animation about consumption, climate change and wellbeing by PIRC, George Monbiot and Leo Murray. For more info, see: http://carbonomissions.org.uk

    Sunday, April 28, 2013

    Quote of the Week - 04.28.13





    Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted.
    ~ John Lennon

    Time you enjoy eating Fair Trade chocolate, was definitely not wasted.
    ~ Coco-Zen

    Tuesday, April 23, 2013

    Stuff We Found Today - 04.23.13


    Deep Dark Chocolate Tart Recipe - gluten-free and vegan!



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    Monday, April 22, 2013

    Quote of the Week - 04.22.13




    If you are too busy to laugh, you are too busy.
    ~ Unknown

    If you are too busy to enjoy some Fair Trade chocolate, you are too busy.
    ~ Coco-Zen

    Friday, April 19, 2013

    VIDEO: "Sacred Economics" - A Short Film


    Some quotes from the film...

    "Economic growth means you have to find something that was once nature and make it into a good, or was once a gift relationship and make it into a service. You have to find something that people once got for free or did for themselves or for each other, and then take it away and sell it back to them, somehow."

    "We didn't earn any of the things that really keep us alive, or that make life good. We didn't earn the air. We didn't earn being born... We didn't earn having a planet that can provide food. We didn't earn the sun... on some level, people have this inborn gratitude because, on some level we know that we didn't earn any of this, we know that life is a gift. Well if you know that you've received a gift, then the natural response is gratitude, the desire to give in turn."

    "...the old world falls apart, and a new world is born. A child plays and develops his or her gifts, but doesn't apply them to their true purpose yet, and that's what humanity has been doing. We've been messing around, playing with our gifts of technology and culture and developing these gifts. Now we are coming into adulthood and it's time to apply them to our true purpose."



    "Sacred Economics traces the history of money from ancient gift economies to modern capitalism, revealing how the money system has contributed to alienation, competition, and scarcity, destroyed community, and necessitated endless growth.

    Today, these trends have reached their extreme - but in the wake of their collapse, we may find great opportunity to transition to a more connected, ecological, and sustainable way of being."