We don’t get many vegan candy samples here in the Fancy Food office, so I was delighted when Ashley stopped by my desk and dropped off a bar of Theo Chocolate’s Peppermint Stick dark chocolate candy bar. The 3.-oz sweet is organic, fair-trade certified and mighty delicious, if I do say so myself.The rich dark chocolate was a perfect complement to the peppermint flavor. I’m not one of seasonally themed food (if it’s good I eat it year-round), but I can say with confidence that vegans and non-vegans alike will love this holiday candy. In fact, it’s packaged as a holiday treat in a red wrapper adorned with candy cane and snowflake images.
While Peppermint is a traditional holiday flavor, the company has surprising, creative nontraditional flavors and pairings, too. Take the Chocolate & Beer pairing kit for example. The concept is simple, but one that is rather unique. Theo Chocolate takes five of its favorite bars and matches them with different beer suggestions that will enhance the chocolate flavor. I think this is a great idea as I imagine the same people interested in fair trade-certified chocolate may also be interested in micro brewing and beer sampling (coworker Lacey, home brewer and Chef magazine editor, comes immediately to mind).
Theo Chocolate stands behind its products. Its openness is proof of the company’s integrity. Locals and visitors to the Seattle area are invited to tour the facility and learn about chocolate and how the company creates its chocolate by hand.
For more detail, visit www.theochocolate.com. You can also read about the company in the July issue of Fancy Food, available at the Summer Fancy Food Show.
- Mary
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