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. 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.
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!
Martha A Pascual
happy to see this email. I purchase Divine chocolate from Ethical Trade (SERRV) for Christmas gifts to my friends and co-workers. They all it, with the knowledge that no child or adult labor picked the beans. I will be ordering some of these bars for the Easter gifts; it is great to see that more companies are getting wise and compassionate about the cruelty and harm that goes into the brands that fill our drugstore/other shelves. Keep Giving a Damn!