The “Chocolate Revolution,” an awareness-raising concert in Babeville’s Ninth Ward today , will shine a light on how the sweet confection is produced.

The all-ages concert is part of a global movement to support small farmers of commodities and to eliminate child exploitation.

“Forced child labor continues to be a problem in the Ivory Coast, the source of 50 percent of the cocoa consumed in the

U. S., and Fair Trade continues to be your best guarantee that your chocolate is not tainted by such exploitation,” said Rodney North of Equal Exchange, a maker of Fair Trade chocolate.

The 6-year-old company’s products, along with those of similar companies, are on the shelves of Tops Markets, Wegmans and Lexington Food Coop. Its intent was to address chronic poverty among small farmers, who the company said were victimized by a production system that didn’t provide enough profit for the farmer.

Equal Exchange gets its cocoa beans from Peru, Panama and the Dominican Republic. North said those countries, and others in the Americas, don’t have the problems of forced child labor in cocoa fields documented in the Ivory Coast, which produces 40 percent of all cocoa.

Equal Exchange is one of the concert’s sponsors, along with Righteous Babe Records, Elmwood Avenue Festival of the Arts, Hallwalls and Lexington Food Co-op. Fair Trade chocolate bars and cocoa will be provided when doors open at 7.

Merging music with Fair Trade chocolate originated with New York-based Left on Red,

headliners on a bill that includes Michael Meldrum and Mary Ramsey.

Left on Red's Kelly Halloran and Liah Alonso said they wanted to use Valentine's Day to help people become more aware of issues that surround commercial brands of chocolate and provide information on alternatives.

"We have the power to support companies and by doing that have a voice and an influence," Alonso said.

Tanya Zabinski, co-owner of Planet Love, also said the timing was right.

"A lot of people are aware of Fair Trade coffee, but not as much about chocolate," Zabinski said. "But with Valentine's Day, when you give Fair Trade chocolate it's not only a token of love to the one on whom you lavish it, but an act of love toward the farmers," Zabinski said.

At Lexington Co-op, sales of Fair Trade chocolate ... which cost more than commercial bars ... have been rising, said Tim Bartlett, general manager.

"We averaged sales of about 1,000 Fair Trade chocolate bars a month over the last three months. That's significantly up from the same time a year ago," he said.

Merging music with Fair Trade chocolate originated with New York-based Left on Red,

headliners on a bill that includes Michael Meldrum and Mary Ramsey.

Left on Red's Kelly Halloran and Liah Alonso said they wanted to use Valentine's Day to help people become more aware of issues that surround commercial brands of chocolate and provide information on alternatives.

"We have the power to support companies and by doing that have a voice and an influence," Alonso said.

Tanya Zabinski, co-owner of Planet Love, also said the timing was right.

"A lot of people are aware of Fair Trade coffee, but not as much about chocolate," Zabinski said. "But with Valentine's Day, when you give Fair Trade chocolate it's not only a token of love to the one on whom you lavish it, but an act of love toward the farmers," Zabinski said.

At Lexington Co-op, sales of Fair Trade chocolate ... which cost more than commercial bars ... have been rising, said Tim Bartlett, general manager.

"We averaged sales of about 1,000 Fair Trade chocolate bars a month over the last three months. That's significantly up from the same time a year ago," he said.