Featured Company: Dagoba Organic Chocolate Company

It seems the start of a new semester, combined with the first NFL Sunday of the season, caused me to miss my Sunday post. I'd like to write a little about Dagoba. By their name, you can tell that they produce organic chocolate products. Something I learned this summer, if correct, is something to note about organic chocolate. I was told that sellers of organic chocolate in the United States can call their product 'organic' as long as it was produced organically in its country of origin, but it doesn't necessarily mean what you consume is organic. The reason for this is that the U.S. has a law that chocolate shipped from certain areas must be fumigated for insects - so though the cacao may have been produced organically, the fumigation process causes the chocolate to truly be organic. U.S. law, if I was given the correct information, still allows companies to call itself organic.

I asked a reprentative of Dagoba about this early in the summer. I was told, in response, that none of their cacao is fumigated. I believe that if it comes directly from Central or South America, it requires fumigation. Apparently, though Dagoba's cacao originates there, they have it shipped to Europe first and then to the U.S. It's been a number of months since I was given that information, so it may not be accurate. I will be sure to check on it.

Dagoba, besides selling organic chocolate - which is healthier for the producers of the cacao and the consumers and better for the local enviroment - takes pride in what they call "Full Circle Sustainability". This means that they are helping the local communities that produces the cacao they buy; they are helping to preserve and revive heirloom varieties of cacao; and they aim to pay the cacao farmers equitably and buy a portion of their cacao from Fair Trade-certified cooperatives.

Besides doing well, they also produce a good product. They've won awards from Food & Wine and were awarded the "best dark chocolate" designation from the San Francisco Chronicle. They were also given the EPA's "Green Power Leadership Reward".

You can purchase their products at their website or you can Click Here for a list of retailers who carry their product. If you don't see their products on this list, you should check your local stores, anyway. A couple of local stores near me carry their chocolate bars and hot chocolate mix, but their names do not appear on the list.