Dagoba Organic Chocolate & the Rainforest Alliance

Posted on June 22, 2012 by Allie

My world is fueled by chocolate and coffee. Both are products often cultivated at great expense to people and the environment, so I make an effort to find sustainable companies to support when I vote with my chocolate and coffee buying dollars.

When I buy chocolate, I aim for quality over quantity. The awesome thing about really good chocolate is that quality chocolate is satisfying in small amounts. So while I may pay a little more for a bar of high quality sustainable chocolate, it lasts longer, and I can curb my cravings with fewer calories.

Dagoba has been one of my favorite chocolate brands for a long time. And now Dagoba Chocolate’s full line is being made with cacao from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms. Dagoba tells me that carrying the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal means:

High standards of environmental stewardship throughout the entire process of growing and cultivating cacao
Economic sustainability for cacao-producing farms
Safe working conditions and fair wages for farm workers
Access to housing, education and healthcare for workers and their families.

And the chocolate is good! Dagoba sent me samples of their Dark (59% cacao), Milk (37% cacao), and New Moon (74% cacao). And I’m (ever so slightly) embarrassed to say that I started my reviewing process before I remembered to take a picture. You’re not surprised, are you?

Dark chocolate is my vice, and the darker the better, so the New Moon bar was heaven to me! I like the way Dagoba bars break down into small strips of chocolate. One or two strips went a long way at satisfying my chocolate craving. The Dark bar was certainly no slouch, and I like the way the milk chocolate still had a strong chocolate taste and wasn’t too sweet.

And, since this new partnership extends to all the products in the Dagoba line, it means two of my longtime favorites, xocolatl, and lavender blueberry are also Rainforest Alliance Certified.

You can find Dagoba Organic Chocolate at Wegmans, Whole Foods, The Fresh Market, Publix, and many other stores, or buy online.

Dagoba sent me this delicious chocolate to review, but my opinions are my own, and I regularly buy Dagoba chocolate.

Posted in Food

1 Comment +

I’ve seen this brand among the other chocolates at Sprouts. I’ll give it a try next time, on your recommendation!

June 22nd, 2012 at 9:50 pm

Comment by tmc

Tip of the Day

If It Doesn’t Smell, Don’t Wash It

According to Real Simple, if every American made an effort to launder less — cutting out just one load of laundry a week per household — we’d save enough water to fill seven million swimming pools each year.

So if it looks clean, and it smells clean, call it clean and wear it again. Consider hanging worn clothes out on your clothesline to freshen them up between wearings.