Theo Chocolate: Fair Trade & Organic By Jace Ladenburg

Almost everyone likes chocolate, but some chocolate can be filled with bad chemicals. Theo is a chocolate factory that makes organic, non-toxic yummy chocolate, here in Seattle, Washington. Theo cares about the environment and the people (and making delicious chocolate)!

Background: •The name “Theo” comes from the word Theobroma which is the scientific name of the cocoa tree. •Theo was the first fair trade and organic chocolate factory in in the U.S.

Who founded Theo and when: •It took two years for the Theo team to build the factory and develop the chocolate recipes. •Joe Whinney in 1994 had the first organic cocoa beans brought to the U.S.A. •Joe Whinney and Debra Music founded Theo chocolate in 2006.

Where Theo is located: 3400 Phinney Avenue North Seattle, WA

How does it work: Theo is the first “bean-to-bar” chocolate factory • Cocoa beans are imported primarily from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Peru, and Panama. • All ingredients in each chocolate bar are controlled by Theo and every step takes place in the factory.

How chocolate is made: • Chocolate is made from the seeds of the chocolate tree: Theobroma cacao. • Grinding and mixing of the chocolate produces smooth creaminess. • Real chocolate is a mixture of ground roasted and fermented cacao seeds and sugar. • A 70% chocolate bar contains 70% ground cacao and 30% sugar with a hint of ground vanilla bean. • Dark chocolate with a high percentage of cocoa has a lot of healthy antioxidants. • Antioxidants found in cacao have been shown to have positive health benefits including healthy blood pressure, preventing inflammation, reducing the formation of bacteria known to cause tooth decay, and improved blood flow to the brain.

Why it’s important to use organic ingredients: • non-organic companies use ingredients that have been treated with pesticides (toxic chemicals that are sprayed on crops to keep bugs away) • chemical fertilizers (chemicals used on plants to help them grow better) • radiation (radiation is used to kill bugs) • industrial solvents (chemicals used to process foods) • food additives (chemicals added to food to improve flavor or appearance or to preserve it) • Organic ingredients are grown without any of these chemicals and are much better for our bodies

Why it’s important to use Fair-Trade ingredients: •Fair-Trade is important to farmers because they get paid a fair price for their work and for their crops. •This allows farmers and their families to have a good education, and get the nutrition they need, healthcare, and equipment they need for their crops.  

Products: • Theo makes not only milk and dark chocolate but lots and lots of different flavors like sea salted almond, bread and chocolate, coconut curry, chai, cherry almond, mint, chili, ghost pepper caramels, raspberry and ginger, just to name a few.(My favorite kind was Salted Almond)

Theo makes healthy, organic, and DELICIOUS chocolate and all of it is done in one single building at their factory in Seattle. Chocolate can be a healthy treat if you choose organic and fair trade kinds like Theo. The Theo factory gives fun tours where you can learn how they make their chocolate and taste all the different kinds.