Dear Community, I do not write to you as a sympathizer of Rick and Michael Mast nor as a particular fan of Mast Brothers Chocolate. I write you as a participator in this community, a long-time fan of many of your companies, and as a third voice in this whole conversation. I’m not here to debate the validity of the claims against Mast or the quality of their product. Take a moment to examine this situation. We are all adults. We’re businessmen and businesswomen. We’re artisans, makers, creators, and laborers. We’re professionals. We’re entrepreneurs. We are in this industry because we’re serious about crafting an amazing product from a sustainable supply chain for all sorts of people. We are not in this industry to disparage our competition. Yet it seems as though we have forgotten our values because of the recent allegations against Mast. We’ve reduced a serious conversation (and investigation) into the banter of a bunch of jealous, finger-pointing bullying. This entire conversation has been reduced to the maturity level of the comments section on a YouTube video. And the most detestable part of the whole situation is that we’re OK with this. “A blogger has come out with damning allegations. . . [that] have proven just how deep [our] disdain runs.� — Slate “. . . The company’s bearded, Brooklyn hipster founders [have] undeserved media attention and unparalleled hubris� — Quartz The chocolate community “has a history of disdain for the Masts� — Grubstreet . . . You get the picture. The press is using shamelessly hateful language to describe the scandal and the majority of the chocolate community is perpetuating this. As I’ve followed both sides of the story, I keep asking myself one central question: ‘Why?’ Are we crusaders for fair labor practices? Are we defendants of a small-batch production model? Are we proponents of an exclusive underground movement? Why does the legitimacy of a competitor concern us so much? I am convinced that we’re so concerned about this controversy because more people know and love Mast than our own brands. This is why spitting out evidence isn’t enough for us. We have to mock their family life, insult the way they dress, and create memes to ridicule them (note: I’m omitting links to specific examples here on purpose). We are not the community-driven individuals that we make ourselves out to be; we are a group of over-worked, over-looked, and under-appreciated individuals that desire attention. We have resorted to vindictive schadenfreude to justify our own expedient ends. We toss ad hominem after ad hominem their way because Mast does not participate in our contests, post in our forums, or attend our conventions. We ostracize the Masts because they’re not like us. Friends, this is not acceptable. This is not admirable. This is mean. I don’t want our industry to be known for this type of culture –– and I hope that together we can stand for something more inclusive and positive than is evident now. Written by Alex Burlingame, Chief Chocolate Baron of Upchurch Chocolate. We make craft chocolate. Think Willy Wonka, but hip, local, & sophisticated.
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