6 Organic & Fair Trade Chocolate Brands To Indulge In Now

These delectable chocolate brands craft the finest truffles and bars that delight the senses and are good for people and the environment.

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We all love the richness of dark chocolate or the creamy sweetness of milk chocolate. But, when it comes to ethical chocolate, how many of us really know the benefits? While the end result is a sweet, the way that a cacao bean is made into your favorite candy can be a path of human and environmental exploitation, not to mention an excessive amount of sugar. Ethical or Fair Trade chocolate brands consciously craft their chocolate treats by building relationships with suppliers to ensure that labor standards and market prices are fair and that the land that grows one of our most prized sweet foods is well taken care of.

To fully grasp the importance of fair trade, you have to look at the problems that are present in an under monitored industry. Around 70% of the world’s cocoa supply comes from the Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, and Cameroon. Numerous organizations have brought attention to the rampant exploitation of children forced into labor to harvest cocoa farms in these regions. Habitats are also destroyed as deforestation makes way for farms, and many of these farmers are paid poverty wages that can be as low as $2 / day.

This system can benefit corporations that are able to earn a premium profit at the cost of a supply chain built on exploitation and damaging environments. Fair Trade is a fairer system that sees wealth evenly distributed, workers’ rights reinforced, and sustainable farming practices adopted to ensure that everyone, from farmers to those who have a sweet tooth, can enjoy chocolate and trees for decades to come.

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These brands have made a conscious choice to source their ingredients from organic farms and partner with suppliers to ensure that the strict ethical, environmental, and labor standards set by fair trade organizations are met. Others work directly with farmers for a grassroots approach towards making their work relationship beneficial for all. And, trust us, milk chocolate is sweet and dark is delectable, but chocolate made fairly by brands that you can trust is the most decadent of all.

Alter Eco 

Can chocolate reverse climate change? Alter Eco is an alternative chocolate brand that has built sustainability into its brand’s mission from the get go. The chocolate is sourced from farms that practice regenerative farming and the brand has committed to being carbon neutral since 2008.

Environmental Impact: All ingredients that can be certified Fair Trade are for this chocolate. That means that cocoa beans are sourced from farmers who receive a fair wage. Other ingredients, like USDA certified organic milk is sourced as sustainably as possible. The wrappers for the brand’s signature truffles are made from materials sourced from eucalyptus and birch trees, so they are suited for backyard composting. Other materials used for packaging, such as the aluminum wrapping for their chocolate bars, are made from recyclable foil.

Fine & Raw

When you buy one of these chocolate products, you’re supporting small-scale sustainable farmers in Belize and a Brooklyn-based brand that practices fair trade. Since 2007, Fine & Raw has collaborated with farmers and non-profits to craft delicious chocolate that is just as good to the ecosystem as it tastes.

Ethical Impact: This is one of those artisanal chocolate brands that relies on a grassroots approach to fully understand farmers’ needs and foster a mutually beneficial relationship that supports farming communities through educational projects and paying living wages. Long-term relationships with farmers are built to help foster economic growth. And, wages are considerably higher than standard prices.

Dandelion Chocolate

This chocolatier has been delighting customers with its single-origin chocolates, renowned for both flavor and beauty. Hailed as one of the best in the country, the brand also publishes a yearly Sourcing Report detailing where and how the cocoa is grown and how the brand supports the farmers making the chocolate we all love.

Environmental Impact: As a chocolate brand with a mission to elevate the flavors of one of the world’s most celebrated indulgences, Dandelion Chocolates focuses on single-origin chocolate sourced from a single region. These regions and suppliers are highlighted yearly in their reports, with a special emphasis on sustainable practices implemented to improve soil quality and the cacao beans themselves. To preserve the distinct flavors of their chocolate, each is handmade without preservatives or flavorings.

Coracao

From the cocoa beans to the coconut sugar, each ingredient in Coracao’s chocolates is carefully selected from Fair Trade partners and organic farms. All products are certified non-GMO and USDA Organic.

Ethical Impact: In 2008, Coracao debuted in SoCal’s Whole Foods with a mission to delight customers with plant-based organic chocolates. Since then, the company has flourished along with its ethos of being Employee-Owned, Certified Carbon-Neutral, and providing some of the best clean (low glycemic, soy-free, nut-free, dairy-free) chocolates you’ll find on the West Coast.

Taza 

Nothing can compare to the bold flavor of stone-ground organic dark chocolate. Enamored by the ancient Mexican practice, the founder of Taza brought the craft to his hometown of Somerville, MA. Since 2005, it has become a one-of-a-kind fair trade chocolate brand that focuses on direct relationships with farmers and living wages.

Environmental Impact: Each bar begins with Certified USDA Organic cocoa that meets the brand’s high standards. Through a direct relationship with farmers, Taza ensures that cacao is grown in agroforestry systems that respect the environment and that prices are well above minimum wage to ensure that farmers can survive and thrive.

The Good Chocolate

Indulge in this bean-to-bar quality chocolate that delivers all the sweetness that you’ll love without sugar. This sugar-free chocolate is instead sweetened with erythritol sourced from pears and mushrooms, Stevia, and mesquite powder.

Environmental Impact: Only organic cacao beans and butter are used in these chocolate bars. The brand builds a relationship with farmers on initiatives to ensure that education is a possibility for their families, and these chocolate bars are packaged to eliminate waste. That translates to paper pouches made from plant-based materials that are compostable and plastic boxes that are made from recycled plastics.