CocoaPaper(TM) Product Collection Now Available on CocoaVia.com Handmade, Sustainable Paper That Benefits Cocoa Farming Communities

(live-PR.com) - GERMANTOWN, MD -- (Marketwire) -- 08/09/12 -- Mars Botanical : bit.ly/L3ZZjN , a scientific business unit of Mars, Incorporated and the maker of CocoaVia : bit.ly/Khvxnq ® daily cocoa extract supplement, announced today select items from the CocoaPaper™ : bit.ly/MZj5yO product line are now available for purchase at CocoaVia.com : bit.ly/Khvxnq . CocoaPaper™ is a line of handmade, sustainable paper products made from the bark of cocoa trees grown in Indonesia, where Mars Botanical sources its cocoa. The cocoa bark is collected when the cocoa trees are pruned. By purchasing the bark that goes into making CocoaPaper™ products, the paper makers are able to provide an alternative income stream for the cocoa farmers and encourage good farm management practices.





"Mars Botanical is committed to creating a sustainable, certified source of cocoa, from pod to product," said Alison Wang, Mars Botanical Managing Director. "We work closely with Indonesian farmers to plant, harvest and cultivate their fruit, increasing their profitability and improving quality of life for local communities. Mars Botanical will continue to support the cocoa farmers in Indonesia, as well as its commitment to cocoa sustainability by offering a selection of CocoaPaper products."



CocoaPaper™ supports cocoa sustainability in several ways:

• Uses sustainable inputs of approximately 60 percent cocoa bark and 40 percent recycled paper


• Encourages the habit of pruning trees, a sustainable and eco-friendly farming practice that results in healthier and more productive trees


• Provides additional income to artisans and cocoa farming communities where Mars Botanical sources its cocoa

Process and Results
As cocoa tree branches are pruned, farmers strip the bark from the wood and sell it to the cocoa paper manufacturer. It is then made into CocoaPaper™ products. The regular pruning of cocoa trees results in higher cocoa yields for farmers and the sale of the bark generates additional revenue streams of up to 40 percent for the farming families.



The CocoaPaper™ products offered through CocoaVia.com include journals and notepads. For more information or to purchase an item from the product collection, visit CocoaVia.com/cocoapaper : bit.ly/MZj5yO .



About CocoaVia® Cocoa Extract Supplement
The CocoaVia® product is a powdered daily cocoa extract supplement, developed by Mars Botanical : bit.ly/L3ZZjN , which delivers 250 mg of cocoa flavanols : bit.ly/Kx2TnM in every serving. CocoaVia® cocoa extract supplement comes in convenient, single-serving stick packs and is available in four delicious flavors with no added sugar, artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. CocoaVia® cocoa extract supplement is made using a patented Cocoapro® process, which extracts the cocoa flavanols from the cocoa bean and protects the flavanols that are usually destroyed during normal cocoa handling and processing. For more information on the CocoaVia® supplement product line, visit CocoaVia.com : bit.ly/Khvxnq .



About Mars Botanical
Mars Botanical is a scientific business unit of Mars Symbioscience and is focused on research and product development involving cocoa extract and cocoa flavanols. The mission of Mars Botanical is to improve human health by commercializing cocoa flavanol products that are backed by evidence-based science, delivering proven benefits to its consumers. Mars Botanical continues to strengthen Mars, Incorporated's global scientific leadership as it investigates the health and biomedical potential of cocoa while establishing a sustainable, certified source of cocoa traceable from pod to product. For additional information on Mars Botanical visit www.MarsBotanical.com : bit.ly/KWRK9H .




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Jennifer Seyler
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