Fair Trade Gifts for Valentine's Day

Whoever said chocolate and flowers are an unoriginal Valentine's Day gift, think again. While different cultures around the world have their own unique ways of celebrating Valentine's Day, gifts of chocolate and flowers are resounding common threads. In the Czech republic, for example, couples believe a kiss beneath a blossoming cherry tree will bring good luck for the year. In Japan, the women traditionally give chocolate, saving only the best homemade chocolate ("Honmei-choco") for their love interests. And Ghana, one of the world's leading producers of cocoa, has gone so far as to governmentally declare February 14 National Chocolate Day.

Borrowing some of this inspiration, we're here to help you come up with your own fresh take on the classics this Valentine's Day.

For starters, there's nothing like a carefully-planned night in to show your Valentine your love is anything but cookie-cutter. With the money you would have spent on dinner reservations, fill up on fresh Fair Trade Certified™ ingredients and have a special recipe or two picked out for the occasion (we also highly recommend the Guittard Chocolate Cookbook). Voila! Your very own candle-lit dinner. We'll leave the wine pairings to you, but will say that coconut oil massages definitely complement the evening nicely. Just saying.

No matter what you end up doing this Valentine's Day, you can't go wrong with Fair Trade Certified flowers and chocolate. It's a gift that not only says you care about them, but also that you care about the planet, the lives of workers, and the impact of your dollar. Here are our top picks for a Valentine's Day gift that'll keep loving all year long.