A World Class Chocolate Factory Starts Locally
On a rainy Saturday in November, employees of Barry Callebaut, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of cocoa and confectionary products, formed a partnership with the Lake Champlain Land Trust and University of Vermont Lake Champlain Sea Grant program to improve water quality on the land outside their chocolate factory in St. Albans.
“We’re so thankful to Amanda Walker and the rest of the Barry Callebaut crew for volunteering to build this retention area. It’s a great example of how a local business can make an investment in both the community and their property, and end up with a winning formula,” – Becky Tharp, Lake Champlain Sea Grant Program.
Storm water runoff can significantly impair water quality. To avoid this, the partners designed a rain retention area complete with red maples to divert storm water and allow the water to slow down (and become absorbed into the ground) rather than rushing into Rugg Brook and ultimately Lake Champlain.
If you would like your business to explore establishing a rain garden or retention area, funding may be available. Contact Chris Boget at for more information.
Would you like to help out? For more information about volunteering with the Lake Champlain Land Trust, visit our volunteer webpage.
