Theo Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup
A creamy blend of organic peanut butter and dark chocolate in an 85% dark chocolate shell. With 3g of sugar and 3g of protein, mindful snacking has never tasted so decadent!
Turmeric Spice Dark Chocolate
A blend of aromatic turmeric, spicy black pepper and warming spices combined with Theo’s 70% dark chocolate for a smooth and soothing treat. Already a staff favorite!
What Makes Theo Different (and Amazing)?
Theo’s model is based on a core idea – chocolate can be made in a way that allows everyone in the bean to bar process to thrive. It’s why they make their own chocolate – to ensure that everyone is treated in a way that the people of Theo can be proud of and that only the highest quality ingredients and processes are used. This model has some very real impacts on the way business is done at Theo Chocolate.
Third Party Verification – Working with third parties certifies that both Theo and everyone they work with is being authentic in their claims. It gives both the company and chocolate lovers alike the peace of mind that each Theo product is helping to create better lives for everyone. Theo’s facilities are also certified and are audited each year along with their suppliers. The audit looks at a number of things such as wages, working conditions, and environmental impact. This is different than companies who may buy fair trade ingredients but don’t verify their own practices through an audit each year.
Quality Premiums – In addition to third party verifications, some of which monitor prices, like Fair Trade, Theo Chocolate has opted out of the global commodity cocoa market. The commodity market sets the prices of cocoa based upon a number of external factors which have little do with cocoa farmers. It is volatile and leaves farmers guessing about how much money they’ll make year to year. It’s low price also disincentives farmers from investing in their farms or improving quality because farmers may not capture that value back. With prices that don’t allow farmers to invest in their farms and families, cocoa cannot be sustainable because farmers have no reason to keep growing it. In contrast to this commodity system, Theo has a baseline price which is negotiated directly with farm partners for meeting the most basic quality specifications. This price is fixed the year before and can be relied on. In addition, Theo encourages farmers to invest in their farms and in training by paying additional premiums for better quality beans. These premiums are set in advance and give the control back over to the farmers. Offering a stable price to farmers allows them to plan their future with confidence, and price premiums provide an incentive to maintain and improve the quality of their cocoa.
Full Transparency – Theo works and trades directly with their suppliers to determine prices. Theo visits all of their cocoa origins each year to make sure they’re understanding their circumstances and challenges as well. Theo strives to have all of their cocoa farmers taste the chocolate made from their beans. Most farmers who grow cocoa are so disconnected from the process, they don’t know who ultimately makes chocolate from their beans or what it tastes like. Theo believes that full transparency is required to earn the consumer’s confidence.
Simply put, Theo’s cocoa purchasing practices promote better quality cocoa beans and improved quality of life for cocoa farmers, now and in the future.
