Our truffles sold for a whopping £67! I'm thrilled to have made such a nice sum - and to have bet last year's £50. My choice of nice and expensive ingredients made people comment on the retail price, but I'm glad to be able to donate this amount to the gorillas. I'll send this across as soon as possible, thanks to all the contributors and mostly to Caroline for her invaluable contribution.

If you need inspiration for your own similar marketing email, here's what I sent my colleagues - note the photos were borrowed from the Murry Foundation's website... and got me back a "awww they're so cute!" email.

Chocolate truffles. Melt-in-your mouth, high cocoa content, just sweet enough yet flavourful chunks of decadence. Because we know the lovely people here at [company name] have both a sweet tooth and a kind heart, Caroline and Sophie have spent time in our kitchens preparing a batch of the best truffles ever; for you and for the gorillas of Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Organic and/or Fairtrade chocolate and cocoa, the best crème fraîche, a pinch of secret ingredients (no nuts or gluten)... we know you will be asking us for more.

Come to the canteen today between 1.30 and 2.30pm, buy some truffles and help us raise money for the gorillas (and spread the word!)

Virunga NP, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is a spectacular place in the heart of Africa, unfortunately located in a region prone to wars and ethnic cleansing (the Rwanda border is very close). Home to a third of the world's remaining wild mountain gorillas as well as to many other species of endangered animals and plants, it is under constant threat from local warlords, poachers and charcoal-makers who regard gorillas and wildlife as a source of either food, income or nuisance. The park is aiming to protect the wildlife but also bring stability to the local population, educating them in alternatives to coal (briquettes project), the importance of wildlife and hopefully soon by bringing tourism again to this devastated area.

It's been more than a year since my last post, but I have neither forgotten the gorillas or been inactive, I just didn't make much noise about it. But now I think is time to spread the word again, and raise awareness amongst some people. So I went back to my kitchen last week-end, and prepared the yummiest, chocolatiest truffles you can imagine. I got first class ingredients, including fairtrade and/or organic cocoa and chocolate, got inventive with the tastes ... Read the full story »

Sophie commented this post on our official blog, follow our daily news

Sophie commented this post on our official blog, follow our daily news

After a bit of anxiety when I saw the Cafeteria mostly empty, sales started with my team-mates then work buddies and eventually perfect strangers. The truffles were quick to go then the cookies found their ways to people's hands and mouths. Because to me it's not just about a one-off collection but about raising awareness and creating a long-lasting impact, the most important element of the goodies were the labels, which gave plenty of details about the Park and hopefully will create a lasting impact. (you can view the labels in more detail, right-click on them and select "view image")
... Read the full story »

It took me a chunk of Saturday, most of Sunday and Monday evening to bake and prepare the biscuits and chocolate I will sell tomorrow. On the menu: honey spice, pinwheel or choco-vanilla cookies, and chocolate truffles. The truffles are the most time consumming but they are easier than the cookies. I forgot my cookbook in France and had to scrounge the internet for recipes which I'm not very happy with. The cookies are ultra-buttery which makes them melt in ... Read the full story »

Spreading the word about Virunga, the actions of the rangers, the projects being run on the ground and other activities taking place in and around the Park is where I'm starting. A huge advocate of the power of social networks and digital information, I've already begun to act through Facebook, my email friends and other digital media at my disposal. It is both a blessing and a disaster that the situation in the Congo makes the headline at the same ... Read the full story »