Organic chocolate is

chocolate Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cacao seed kernels that is available as a liquid, solid, or paste, either on its own or as a flavoring agent in other foods. Cacao has been consumed in some form since at least the Olmec ci ...

which has been certified organic. As of 2016, it was a growing sector in the global chocolate industry.

Organic Organic may refer to: * Organic, of or relating to an organism, a living entity * Organic, of or relating to an anatomical organ Chemistry * Organic matter, matter that has come from a once-living organism, is capable of decay or is the product ...

chocolate is a socially-desirable product for some consumers. Major brands, such as

The Hershey Company The Hershey Company, commonly known as Hershey's, is an American multinational company and one of the largest chocolate manufacturers in the world. It also manufactures baked products, such as cookies and cakes, and sells beverages like milksh ...

, have begun to produce organic chocolate.

Sources

Many, if not most, producers of organic chocolate source their ingredients from certified

fair trade cocoa Fair trade cocoa is an agricultural product harvested from a cocoa tree using a certified process which is followed by cocoa farmers, buyers, and chocolate manufacturers, and is designed to create sustainable incomes for farmers and their fam ...

farms and cooperatives. Organic chocolate comes in many varieties, including

milk chocolate Milk chocolate is a solid chocolate confectionery containing cocoa, sugar and milk. Chocolate was originally sold and consumed as a beverage in pre-Columbian times, and upon its introduction to Western Europe. Major milk chocolate producers incl ...

white chocolate White chocolate is a confectionery typically made of sugar, milk, and cocoa butter. It is pale ivory colored, and lacks many of the compounds found in milk and dark chocolates. It is solid at room temperature because the melting point of cocoa ...

, and dark chocolate. Major brands of organic chocolate include Britain-based

Green & Black's Green & Black's is a British chocolate company founded in 1991. The company produces a range of organic food products, including: chocolate bars, ice cream, biscuits and hot chocolate. Green & Black's was bought by Cadbury in 2005, and later b ...

, Hershey-owned

Dagoba Chocolate Dagoba Organic Chocolate is a brand of chocolate founded in 2001 by Frederick Schilling and owned by The Hershey Company since 2006. The name Dagoba is Sinhalese from ''dhatu-garbha'', Sanskrit words for "hemispherical dome" i.e.stupa. Products ...

, and

Equal Exchange Equal Exchange is a for-profit, Fairtrade worker-owned cooperative headquartered in West Bridgewater, Massachusetts. Equal Exchange distributes organic, gourmet coffee, tea, sugar, bananas, avocados, cocoa, and chocolate bars produced by f ...

. Less-known retailers include

Taza Chocolate Taza Chocolate is a Mexican-inspired stoneground, organic chocolate manufacturer based in Somerville, Massachusetts, United States. The factory was founded by Alex Whitmore in 2005 and is home to over 40 different products that can be found in 2 ...

, Pacari Chocolate, and Sacred Chocolate, a brand noted for producing

raw chocolate Raw chocolate, or raw ground chocolate paste when ground, is chocolate produced from unroasted cocoa beans that does not contain any additives like sugars. Popularity Raw chocolate represents a fast-growing segment of the chocolate industr ...

Production Process

The Seattle-based chocolate maker Theo Chocolate was one of the first companies that were "fair-trade certified" and produced Organic Chocolate. In 2006 Theo Chocolate began their production of organic chocolate, there were no solid guidelines for the manufacturing and they had to get the process and ingredients in the correct measurements. The main ingredient in chocolate, cocoa is going to be found close to the equator and the majority of it is grown in Western Africa. The organic cocoa, the main ingredient in organic chocolate, is sent to the chocolate factor where they arrive in burlap sacks. The cocoa beans are then thoroughly cleaned and foreign objects are removed until just the beans remain. The manufacturer makes sure to use all organic ingredients to ensure that the final product is truly organic.

References

Environmental certification Environmental conservation Forest conservation Sustainable agriculture {{Dessert-stub

Sources

Production Process

See also

References