Meet Theo: Organic, Fair Trade Chocolate
I'm super excited to add Theo Chocolate to Give a Damn Goods just in time for Valentine's Day. Theo is an incredible brand of fair trade organic chocolate. What does that mean? Let's break it down!
Let's start with what fair trade chocolate is NOT....Unfortunately this delicacy we all love is known for slave and child labor. A lot of the big name chocolate brands are not ethically made which is so sad. The Washington Post reports, “Nearly 20 years after pledging to eradicate child labor, chocolate companies still cannot identify the farms where all their cocoa comes from, let alone whether child labor was used in producing it. Mars, maker of M&M’s and Milky Way, can trace only 24 percent of its cocoa back to farms; Hershey, the maker of Kisses and Reese’s, less than half; Nestlé can trace 49 percent of its global cocoa supply to farms.” This treat we buy to give as a gift to represent love, self care, or joy is made in a way that harms other humans.
Theo is changing this. As a fair trade, organic bean to bar company this means they can guarantee transparency & ethical practices throughout the entire chocolate bar making process starting with the very cacao plant. Whereas most big name chocolate brands start by purchasing chocolate liquor (what's used to make chocolate bars) from third parties which means 1) they have nothing to do with the cacao bean farming and not able to monitor the process leading up to the creation of the chocolate liquor 2) they are not held accountable for unethical treatment of farmers. Theo chocolate focuses on building long term relationships with the farmers they work with and monitoring the entire process which leads to the creation of a very high quality chocolate bar.
Fair Trade Certified Chocolate Bars Made Locally
Thankfully as a fair trade, organic bean to bar company Theo is Fair For Life Certified which guarantees that the cocoa farmers are paid and treated fairly. AND Theo chocolate is certified organic which means their cocoa is produced without the use of pesticides and harsh chemicals. Not only is this better for our bodies, but it's also better for the environment because we're not putting these toxic materials into the Earth.
Theo chocolate bars are made locally in Seattle and I've been able to tour the factory twice. Each time I learn something new and am continuously impressed by their ethics and how they're constantly making their process more sustainable. I honestly think you can taste a difference between Theo's high quality bean to bar chocolate and the name brand chocolate you buy at the grocery store. I encourage you to give this fair trade organic brand a try!
