Organic chocolate is chocolate which has been certified organic. As of 2016, it was a growing sector in the global chocolate industry. Organic chocolate is a socially desirable product for some consumers.[1][2] Major brands, such as The Hershey Company, have begun to produce organic chocolate.[3]
The Seattle-based chocolate maker Theo Chocolate was one of the first companies that were "fair-trade certified" and produced organic chocolate. In 2006 when Theo Chocolate began their production of organic chocolate, there were no solid guidelines for chocolate manufacturing at the time and they had to get the process and ingredients in the correct measurements. The main ingredient in chocolate, cocoa is found close to the equator and the majority is grown in West Africa and South America.[6] The organic cocoa, the main ingredient in organic chocolate, is sent to the chocolate factory, where they are thoroughly cleaned and foreign objects are removed. Organic cocoa beans are grown less than non-organic cocoa beans.[7] Beyond the cocoa, other ingredients are also organic.[8]
^Fromm, Ingrid (2013), "Organic chocolate for the Swiss market : contract farming in the cocoa sector in Honduras", Fromm, Ingrid (2013). Organic chocolate for the Swiss market : contract farming in the cocoa sector in Honduras In: Contract farming for inclusive market access (pp. 129-142). Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Ingrid Fromm, Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, pp. 129–142, ISBN978-92-5-108061-0, retrieved 2024-08-13